Preparation of the Applicable Regulatory Guideline on Mixed Waste in Korea Based on the Analysis of US Laws and Regulations

Sim, Eun-Jin,Lee, Sun-Kee,Kim, Chang-Lak,Kim, Tae-Man Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2021 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.19 No.1

Unit 1 of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and Unit 1 of the Wolsong NPP are being prepared for decommissioning; their decommissioning is expected to generate large amounts of intermediate-level, low-level, and very low level Waste. Mixed waste containing both radioactive and hazardous substances is expected to be produced. Nevertheless, laws and regulations, such as the Korean Nuclear Safety Act and Waste Management Act, do not define clear regulatory guidelines for mixed waste. However, the United States has strictly enforced regulations on mixed waste, focusing on the human health and environmental effects of its hazardous components. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy regulate the radioactive components of mixed waste under the Atomic Energy Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates the hazardous waste component of mixed waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. In this study, the laws, regulations, and authorities pertaining to mixed waste in the United States are reviewed. Through comparison and analysis with waste management laws and regulations in Korea, a treatment direction for mixed waste is suggested. Such a treatment for mixed waste will increase the efficiency of managing mixed waste when decommissioning NPPs in the near future.

영광 3&4와 5&6호기에서 액체 방사성폐기물 처리방법의 비교

Yeom, Yu-Seon,Kim, Soong-Pyung,Lee, Seung-Jin Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2004 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.2 No.3

Most of the low-level liquid radioactive wastes generated from PWR plants are classified into high or low total suspended solid(HTDS or LTDS), and into radiochemical and radioactive laundry waste. Although the evaporation process has a high decontami- nation ability, it has several problems such as corrosion, foam, and congestion. A new liquid waste disposal process using the ion-exchange demineralizer(IED), instead of the current evaporation process, has been introduced into the Yonggwang NPP #5 and 6. These two methods have been compared to understand the differences in this study. Aspects compared here were the released radioactivity amount of the liquid radioactive wastes, the dose of off-site residents, the decontamination factor, and the amount of the solid radioactive wastes. The IED system is designed to discharge higher radioactivity about 20% than the evaporating system, and the actual radioactivity released from the evaporating and IED system were 0.473mCi and 1.098mCi, respectively. The radioactivity released from the IED was 2.32 times higher than that of the evaporating system. The dose of off-site residents was $2.97{\times}10^{-6}$mSv for the evaporating system, and $6.47{\times}10^{-6}$mSv for IED. The decontamination factor(DF) of the evaporator is, in most cases, far lower than the lower limits of detection(LLD) with the Ge-Li detector. Due to the low concentration of the liquid wastes collected from the liquid waste system, the decontamination factor of IED is very low. Since there is not enough data on the amount of solid radioactive wastes generated by the evaporation system, the comparison on these two systems has been conducted on the basis of the design, and the comparison result was that the evaporating system generated more wastes about 40% than IED.

A Study on the Evaluation of Surface Dose Rate of New Disposal Containers Though the Activation Evaluation of Bio-Shield Concrete Waste From Kori Unit 1

Kang, Gi-Woong,Kim, Rin-Ah,Do, Ho-Seok,Kim, Tae-Man,Cho, Chun-Hyung Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2021 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.19 No.1

This study evaluates the radioactivity of concrete waste that occurs due to large amounts of decommissioned nuclear wastes and then determines the surface dose rate when the waste is packaged in a disposal container. The radiation assessment was conducted under the presumption that impurities included in the bio-shielded concrete contain the highest amount of radioactivity among all the concrete wastes. Neutron flux was applied using the simplified model approach in a sample containing the most Co and Eu impurities, and a maximum of 9.8×104 Bq·g-1 60Co and 2.63×105 Bq·g-1 152Eu was determined. Subsequently, the surface dose rate of the container was measured assuming that the bio-shield concrete waste would be packaged in a newly developed disposal container. Results showed that most of the concrete wastes with a depth of 20 cm or higher from the concrete surface was found to have less than 1.8 mSv·hr-1 in the surface dose of the new-type disposal container. Hence, when bio-shielded concrete wastes, having the highest radioactivity, is disposed in the new disposal container, it satisfies the limit of the surface dose rate (i.e., 2 mSv·hr-1) as per global standards.

Recycling of Li₂ZrO₃ as LiCl and ZrO₂ via a Chlorination Technique

Jeon, Min Ku,Kim, Sung-Wook,Lee, Keun-Young,Choi, Eun-Young Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2021 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.19 No.2

In this study, a chlorination technique for recycling Li₂ZrO₃, a reaction product of ZrO₂-assisted rinsing process, was investigated to minimize the generation of secondary radioactive pyroprocessing waste. It was found that the reaction temperature was a key parameter that determined the reaction rate and maximum conversion ratio. In the temperature range of 400-600℃, an increase in the reaction temperature resulted in a profound increase in the reaction rate. Hence, according to the experimental results, a reaction temperature of at least 450℃ was proposed to ensure a Li₂ZrO₃ conversion ratio that exceeded 80% within 8 h of the reaction time. The activation energy was found to be 102 ± 2 kJ·mol^-1·K^-1 between 450 and 500℃. The formation of LiCl and ZrO₂ as reaction products was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The experimental results obtained at various total flow rates revealed that the overall reaction rate depends on the Cl₂ mass transfer rate in the experimental condition. The results of this study prove that the chlorination technique provides a solution to minimize the amount of radioactive waste generated during the ZrO₂-assisted rinsing process.

Deep Borehole Disposal of Nuclear Wastes: Opportunities and Challenges

Schwartz, Franklin W.,Kim, Yongje,Chae, Byung-Gon Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2017 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.15 No.4

The concept of deep borehole disposal (DBD) for high-level nuclear wastes has been around for about 40 years. Now, the Department of Energy (DOE) in the United States (U.S.) is re-examining this concept through recent studies at Sandia National Laboratory and a field test. With DBD, nuclear waste will be emplaced in boreholes at depths of 3 to 5 km in crystalline basement rocks. Thinking is that these settings will provide nearly intact rock and fluid density stratification, which together should act as a robust geologic barrier, requiring only minimal performance from the engineered components. The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) has raised concerns that the deep subsurface is more complicated, leading to science, engineering, and safety issues. However, given time and resources, DBD will evolve substantially in the ability to drill deep holes and make measurements there. A leap forward in technology for drilling could lead to other exciting geological applications. Possible innovations might include deep robotic mining, deep energy production, or crustal sequestration of $CO_2$, and new ideas for nuclear waste disposal. Novel technologies could be explored by Korean geologists through simple proof-of-concept experiments and technology demonstrations.

Preliminary Evaluation of Radiological Impact for Domestic On-road Transportation of Decommissioning Waste of Kori Unit 1

Dho, Ho-Seog,Seo, Myung-Hwan,Kim, Rin-Ah,Kim, Tae-Man,Cho, Chun-Hyung Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2020 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.18 No.4

Currently, radioactive waste for disposal has been restricted to low and intermediate level radioactive waste generated during operation of nuclear power plants, and these radioactive wastes were managed and disposed of the 200 L and 320 L of steel drums. However, it is expected that it will be difficult to manage a large amount of decommissioning waste of the Kori unit 1 with the existing drums and transportation containers. Accordingly, the KORAD is currently developing various and large-sized containers for packaging, transportation, and disposal of decommissioning waste. In this study, the radiation exposure doses of workers and the public were evaluated using RADTRAN computational analysis code in case of the domestic on-road transportation of new package and transportation containers under development. The results were compared with the domestic annual dose limit. In addition, the sensitivity of the expected exposure dose according to the change in the leakage rate of radionuclides in the waste packaging was evaluated. As a result of the evaluation, it was confirmed that the exposure dose under normal and accident condition was less than the domestic annual exposure dose limit. However, in the case of a number of loading and unloading operations, working systems should be prepared to reduce the exposure of workers.

Simulation of the Migration of ³H and ¹⁴C Radionuclides on the 2nd Phase Facility at the Wolsong LILW Disposal Center

Ha, Jaechul,Son, Yuhwa,Cho, Chunhyung Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2020 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.18 No.4

Numerical model was developed that simulates radionuclide (3H and 14C) transport modeling at the 2nd phase facility at the Wolsong LILW Disposal Center. Four scenarios were simulated with different assumptions about the integrity of the components of the barrier system. For the design case, the multi-barrier system was shown to be effective in diverting infiltration water around the vaults containing radioactive waste. Nevertheless, the volatile radionuclide 14C migrates outside the containment system and through the unsaturated zone, driven by gas diffusion. 3H is largely contained within the vaults where it decays, with small amounts being flushed out in the liquid state. Various scenarios were examined in which the integrity of the cover barrier system or that of the concrete were compromised. In the absence of any engineered barriers, 3H is washed out to the water table within the first 20 years. The release of 14C by gas diffusion is suppressed if percolation fluxes through the facility are high after a cover failure. However, the high fluxes lead to advective transport of 14C dissolved in the liquid state. The concrete container is an effective barrier, with approximately the same effectiveness as the cover.

Long-Term Experiments for Demonstrating Durability of a Concrete Barrier and Gas Generation in a Low-and Intermediate-Level Waste Disposal Facility

Kang, Myunggoo,Seo, Myunghwan,Kim, Soo-Gin,Kwon, Ki-Jung,Jung, Haeryong Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2021 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.19 No.2

Long-term experiments have been conducted on two important safety issues: long-term durability of a concrete barrier with the steel reinforcements and gas generation from low-and intermediate-level wastes in an underground research tunnel of a radioactive waste disposal facility. The gas generation and microbial communities were monitored from waste packages (200 L and 320 L) containing simulated dry active wastes. In the concrete experiment, corrosion sensors were installed on the steel reinforcements which were embedded 10 cm below the surface of concrete in a concrete mock-up, and groundwater was fed into the mock-up at a pressure of 2.1 bars to accelerate groundwater infiltration. No clear evidence was observed with respect to corrosion initiation of the steel reinforcement for 4 years of operation. This is attributed to the high integrity and low hydraulic conductivity of the concrete. In the gas generation experiment, significant levels of gas generation were not measured for 4 years. These experiments are expected to be conducted for a period of more than 10 years.

Characterisation and Durability of a Vitrified Wasteform for Simulated Chrompik III Waste

Walling, Sam A.,Gardner, Laura J.,Pang, H.K. Celine,Mann, Colleen,Corkhill, Claire L.,Mikusova, Alexandra,Lichvar, Peter,Hyatt, Neil C. Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2021 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.19 No.3

Legacy waste from the decommissioned A-1 nuclear power plant in the Slovak Republic is scheduled for immobilisation within a tailored alkali borosilicate glass formulation, as part of ongoing site cleanup. The aqueous durability and characterisation of a simulant glass wasteform for Chrompik III legacy waste, was investigated, including dissolution experiments up to 112 days (90℃, ASTM Type 1 water). The wasteform was an amorphous, light green glassy product, with no observed phase separation or crystalline inclusions. Aqueous leach testing revealed a suitably durable product over the timescale investigated, comparing positively to other simulant nuclear waste glasses and vitreous products tested under similar conditions. Iron and titanium rich precipitates were observed to form at the surface of monolithic samples during leaching, with the formation of an alkali deficient alteration layer behind these at later ages. Overall this glass appears to perform well, and in line with expectations for this chemistry, although longer-term testing would be required to predict overall durability. This work will contribute to developing confidence in the disposability of vitrified Chrompik legacy wastes.

Chemical and Mechanical Sustainability of Silver Tellurite Glass Containing Radioactive Iodine-129

Lee, Cheong Won,Kang, Jaehyuk,Kwon, Yong Kon,Um, Wooyong,Heo, Jong Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2021 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.19 No.3

Silver tellurite glasses with melting temperature of approximately 700℃ were developed to immobilize ¹²⁹I wastes. Long-term dissolution tests in 0.1 M acetic acid and disposability assessment were conducted to evaluate sustainability of the glasses. Leaching rate of Te, Bi and I from the glasses decreased for up to 16 d, then remained stable afterwards. On the contrary, tens to tens of thousands of times more of Ag was leached in comparison to the other elements; additionally, Ag leached continuously for all 128 d of the test owing to the exchange of Ag⁺ and H⁺ ions between the glasses and solution. The I leached much lower than those of other elements even though it leached ~10 times more in 0.1 M acetic acid than in deionized water. Some TeO₄ units in the glass network were transformed to TeO₃ by ion exchange and hydrolysis. These silver tellurite glasses met all waste acceptance criteria for disposal in Korea.