Establishment of Management System for Radioactive Waste Containings Hazardous Substances

Yunjeong Hong,Dongju Lee,Daeseong Nam,Jonghwa Pack,Yungun Jung,Heungju Cho,Sungjin Han,Wonhyuk Jang,Tackjin Kim 한국방사성폐기물학회 2023 한국방사성폐기물학회 학술논문요약집 Vol.21 No.2

As the acceptance criteria for low-intermediate-level radioactive waste cave disposal facilities of Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) were revised, the requirements for characterization of whether radioactive waste contains hazardous substances have been strengthened. In addition, As the recent the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Notice (Regulations on Delivery of Low- Medium-Level Radioactive Waste) scheduled to be revised, the management targets and standards for hazardous substances are scheduled to be specified and detailed. Accordingly, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) needs to prepare management methods and procedures for hazardous substances. In particular, in order to characterize the chemical requirements (explosiveness, ignitability, flammability, corrosiveness, and toxicity) contained in radioactive waste, it must be proven through documents or data that each item does not contain hazardous substances, and quality assurance for the overall process must be provided. In order to identify the characteristics of radioactive waste that will continue to be generated in the future, KAERI needs to introduce a management system for hazardous substances in radioactive waste and establish a quality assurance system. Currently, KAERI is thoroughly managing chelates (EDTA, NTA, etc.), but the detailed management procedures for hazardous substances related to chemical requirements in radioactive waste in the radiation management area specified above are insufficient. The KAERI’s Laboratory Safety Information Network has a total periodic regulatory review system in place for the purchase, movement, and disposal of chemical substances for each facility. However, there is no documents or data to prove that the hazardous substances held in the facility are not included in the radioactive waste, and there are no procedures for managing hazardous substances. Therefore, it is necessary to establish procedures for the management of hazardous substances, and we plan to prepare management procedures for hazardous substances so that chemical substances can be managed according to the procedures at each facility during preliminary inspection before receiving radioactive waste. The procedure provides definitions of terms and types of management targets for each characteristic of the chemical requirements specified above (explosiveness, ignition, flammability, corrosiveness, and toxicity). In addition, procedure also contains treatment methods of radioactive waste generated by using hazardous substances and management methods of in/out, quantity, history of that substances, etc. As the law is revised in the future, management will be carried out according to the relevant procedures. In this study, we aim to present the hazardous substance management procedures being established to determine whether radioactive waste contains hazardous substances in accordance with the revised the notice and strengthened acceptance criteria. Through this, we hope to contribute to improving reliability so that radioactive waste could be disposed of thoroughly and safely.

Review of Characterization Method for Final Disposal of KAERI’s Radioactive Waste

Dong-Ju Lee,Hongrae Jeon,Il-Sik Kang,Dae Seong Nam,Jong Hwa Park,Sung Jin Han,Yun Gun Jung,Heung-Ju Cho 한국방사성폐기물학회 2023 한국방사성폐기물학회 학술논문요약집 Vol.21 No.1

As the importance of radioactive waste management has emerged, quality assurance management of radioactive waste has been legally mandated and the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) established the “Waste Acceptance Criteria for the 1st Phase Disposal Facility of the Wolsong Lowand Intermediate-Level Waste Disposal Center (WAC)”, the detailed guideline for radioactive waste acceptance. Accordingly, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) introduced a radioactive waste quality assurance management system and developed detailed procedures for performing the waste packaging and characterization methods suggested in the WAC. In this study, we reviewed the radioactive waste characterization method established by the KAERI to meet the WAC presented by the KORAD. In the WAC, the characterization items for the disposal of radioactive waste were divided into six major categories (general requirements, solidification and immobilization requirements, radiological, physical, chemical, and biological requirements), and each subcategories are shown in detail under the major classification. In order to satisfy the characterization criteria for each detailed item, KAERI divided the procedure into a characterization item performed during the packaging process of radioactive waste, a separate test item, and a characterization item performed after the packaging was completed. Based on the KAERI’s radioactive waste packaging procedure, the procedure for characterization of the above items is summarized as follows. First, during the radioactive waste packaging process, the characterization corresponding to the general requirements (waste type) is performed, such as checking the classification status of the contents and checking whether there are substances unsuitable for disposal, etc. Also, characterization corresponding to the physical requirements is performed by checking the void fraction in waste package and visual confirmation of particulate matter, substances containg free water, ect. In addition, chemical and biological requirements can be characterized by visually confirming that no hazardous chemicals (explosive, flammable, gaseous substances, perishables, infectious substances, etc.) are included during the packaging process, and by taking pictures at each packaging steps. Items for characterization using separate test samples include radiological, physical, and chemical requirements. The detailed items include identification of radionuclide and radioactivity concentration, particulate matter identification test, free water and chelate content measurement tests, etc. Characterization items performing after the packaging is completed include general requirements such as measuring the weight and height of packages and radiological requirements such as measurements of surface dose rate and contamination, etc. All of the above procedures are proceduralized and managed in the radioactive waste quality assurance procedure, and a report including the characterization results is prepared and submitted when requesting acceptance of radioactive waste. The characterization of KAERI’s radioactive waste has been systematically established and progressed under the quality assurance system. In the future, we plan to supplement various items that require further improvement, and through this, we can expect to improve the reliability of radioactive waste management and activate the final disposal of KAERI’s radioactive waste.

Development of Automated Liquid Radioactive Waste Pre-treatment Device at KAERI

Ki-Baek Shin,HyunMyoung Jung,YoonDo Oh,TaeSu Song,Dong-Su Kim,Tack-Jin Kim 한국방사성폐기물학회 2023 한국방사성폐기물학회 학술논문요약집 Vol.21 No.1

The nuclear facilities at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) have generated a variety of liquid radioactive waste and most of them have low-level radioactive or lower levels. Some of the liquid radioactive waste generated in KAERI is transported to Radioactive Waste Treatment Facility (RWTF) in 20 L container. Liquid radioactive waste transported in a 20 L container is stored in a Sewer Tank after passing through a solid-liquid separation filter. It is then transferred to a very low-level liquid radioactive waste Tank after removing impurities such as sludge through a pre-treatment device. The previous pre-treatment process involved an underwater pump and a cartridge filter device passively, but this presented challenges such as the inconvenience of having to install the underwater pump each time, radiation exposure for workers due to frequent replacement of the cartridge filter, and the generation of large amounts of radioactive waste from the filter. To address these challenges and improve efficiency and safety in radiation work, an automated liquid radioactive waste pre-treatment device was developed. The automated liquid radioactive waste pre-treatment device is a pressure filtration system that utilizes multiple overlapping filter plates and pump pressure to effectively remove impurities such as sludge from liquid radioactive waste. With just the push of a button, the device automatically supplies and processes the waste, reducing radiation hazards and ensuring worker safety. Its modular and mobile design allows for flexible utilization in various locations, enabling efficient pre-treatment of liquid radioactive waste. To evaluate the performance of the newly constructed automated liquid radioactive waste treatment device, samples were taken before and after treatment for 1 hour cycling and analyzed for turbidity. The results showed that the turbidity after treatment was more than about four times lower than before treatment, confirming the excellent performance of the device. Also, it is expected that the treatment efficiency will improve further as the treatment time and number of cycles increase.

A Review on Liquid Radioactive Waste Processing System for Radioactive Waste Treatment Facility

HyunMin Kim,JunKi Baik,SukWon Jung,GangWoo Ryu 한국방사성폐기물학회 2023 한국방사성폐기물학회 학술논문요약집 Vol.21 No.1

The type of radioactive waste that may occur in the process of NPP dismantling can be classified into solid, liquid, gas, and mixed waste. Most of the radioactive waste generated during the dismantling of a NPP is metal solid waste, but liquid radioactive waste is also a very important factor in terms of radiation environmental impact assessment. In the case of liquid radioactive waste, it is necessary to calculate the generation amount in order to design liquid radioactive waste processing system of Radioactive Waste Treatment Facility (RWTF). Depending on the amount of liquid radioactive waste generated, the type of liquid radioactive waste processing system included in the RWTF is different. In addition, in order to apply to the domestic RWTF, it is important to secure the site area occupied by the each system, the liquid radioactive waste treatment capacity of the system, and how to secure circulating water used for dilution and discharge of liquid radioactive waste. Therefore, this review aims to suggest an optimal method for the treatment system for liquid radioactive waste included in RWTF of Wolseong.

Operation of Radioactive Waste Management System

Jun Lee,Jeongwook Moon,Dong-Ju Lee,Dong-Su Kim,Hee-Chul Eun 한국방사성폐기물학회 2023 한국방사성폐기물학회 학술논문요약집 Vol.21 No.2

KAERI has developed a Radioactive Waste Information Management System (RAWINGS) to manage the life-cycle information from the generation to the disposal of radioactive waste, in compliance with the low- and medium-level radioactive waste acceptance criteria (WAC). In the radioactive waste management process, the preceding steps are to receive waste history from the waste generators. This includes an application for a specified container with a QR label, pre-inspection, and management request. Next, the succeeding steps consist of repackaging, treatment, characterization, and evaluating the suitability of disposal, for a process to transparently manage radioactive wastes. Since the system operated in 2021, The system is enhanced to manage dynamic information, including the tracking of the location of radioactive waste and the repackaging process. Small packages of waste could be classified as either radioactive or clearance waste during pre-inspection. Furthermore, waste generated in the past has already been packaged in drums, and a new algorithm has been developed to apply the repackaging when reclassification is required. All radioactive waste with the unique ID number on the specific container is managed within a database, the total amount and history of waste are managed, and statistical information is provided. This system is continuously be operated and developed to oversee life-cycle information, and serve as the foundational database for the Waste Certification Program (WCP).

Development of Condition Monitoring Technology for Safe Management of Radioactive Waste Drum Monitoring

ChoongWie Lee,Hee-Seoung Park,Il-Sik Kang,Dong-ju Lee,Won-Hyuk Jang,Jin-Woo Lee 한국방사성폐기물학회 2022 한국방사성폐기물학회 학술논문요약집 Vol.20 No.1

With the development of the nuclear industry and the increase in the use of radioactive materials, the generation of radioactive waste is increasing. As the generation of radioactive waste increases, the occurrence of related safety accidents is also increasing, and it is necessary to develop a radioactive waste monitoring technology to prevent such accidents in advance and efficiently manage radioactive waste. In Information and Communication Technology (ICT), various ICT technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR) that can help with the safety management of these radioactive wastes are being developed. In this study, a radioactive waste monitoring technology was developed using ICT technology, such as management of the entire cycle history of waste using Quick Response (QR) codes, and development of AR visualization technology for small packages of radioactive waste. In addition, by using IoT technology to collect desired data from sensors and store the results, after the waste drum is loaded in the waste storage, a technology was developed to track and monitor the history and movement of the waste drum from repackaging to transfer to the storage. The data required for monitoring the radioactive waste drum includes location information, whether the drum is open or closed, temperature and humidity, etc. To collect this information, a drum monitoring technology was built with a 2.4 G wireless router, an anchor constituting a virtual zone, a tag to be mounted on the drum container, and a WNT server that collects sensor data. The network tool provided by WirePas was used for network configuration, and the status of gateways and nodes can be monitored by interworking with the WNT server. The configured IoT sensor technology were tested in a waste storage environment. Four anchors were installed and linked to the network to match the virtual zone and the real storage zone, and it was confirmed whether the movement of the tag was recorded on the network while moving the tag including the IoT sensor for analyzing location information. Based on these research results, it can contribute to the safety management of radioactive waste and establishment of Waste Acceptance Criteria (WCP) by and managing the history and monitoring the waste in the entire cycle from repackaging to disposal.

A Prototype Safety Assessment Tool for a Radioactive Waste Treatment Complex Based on IAEA SADRWMS Methodology Using Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic Add-in

In Gyu Chang,Jae Hak Cheong 한국방사성폐기물학회 2023 한국방사성폐기물학회 학술논문요약집 Vol.21 No.1

Kori Unit 1 was permanently shut down in 2017 and is preparing to be dismantled. Decommissioning nuclear power plants is expected to generate a lot of decommissioning waste. Therefore, a radioactive waste treatment complex will be built on the site to safely and effectively the process of decommissioning waste generated from the Kori Unit 1, and the details are specified in the decommissioning plan. Therefore, a safety assessment should be conducted according to the facility’s normal and abnormal operations to construct a radioactive waste treatment complex. Currently, a safety assessment for a radioactive waste treatment complex can be conducted by the Safety Assessment Framework (SAFRAN) Tool based on the Safety Assessment Driving Radioactive Waste Management Solutions (SADRWMS) methodology developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The SAFRAN Tool can be calculated radiation dose and hazard quotient (HQ) for workers and the public under normal and abnormal conditions of the radioactive waste treatment complex. When evaluating the radiation dose for the public due to releasing radioactive materials into the air or discharging radioactive materials into liquids, the radiation dose is calculated using the amount discharged or released from the treatment complex, and the Pathway Dose Factors (PDFs) derived from the generic environmental model given in the IAEA Safety Reports Series No.19. PDFs, which reflect the specific site data rather than the generic environmental model data, should be calculated and evaluated when performing the safety evaluation of the radioactive waste treatment complex to be built on the Kori site. In addition, in the SAFRAN tool, there is an inconvenience in that it must be calculated separately by radionuclides to calculate the contribution of dose or HQ for each radionuclide. Therefore, in this study, a safety assessment tool for a radioactive waste treatment complex was developed using Visual Basic by supplementing the limitations of the SAFRAN tool. This tool was developed to allow users to choose whether to apply PDFs based on the IAEA SRS-19 based on the generic environmental model or PDFs calculated to reflect the specific site data. Furthermore, the tool considered all types of decommissioning wastes that may occur during the decommissioning of the Kori Unit 1 and the treatment process scheduled to be introduced. Therefore, this study is expected to be used as basic data when conducting the safety assessment of radioactive waste treatment complex scheduled to be introduced in Korea.

A Design of Optimal Repackaged Algorithm for Reduction of Low-and Intermediate-level Radioactive Waste

Hee-Seoung Park,Il-Sik Kang,Dong-ju Lee,Choong-Wie Lee,Won-Hyuk Jang,Jong-Jin Kim,Jin-Woo Lee 한국방사성폐기물학회 2022 한국방사성폐기물학회 학술논문요약집 Vol.20 No.2

Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD), regulatory body and civic groups are calling for an infrastructure system that can more systematically and safely manage data on the results of radioactive waste sampling and nuclide analysis in accordance with radioactive waste disposal standards. To solve this problem, a study has been conducted on the analysis of the nuclide pattern of radioactive waste on the nuclide data contained in low-and intermediate-level radioactive waste. This paper will explain the optimal repackaged algorithm for reducing radioactive waste based on previous research results. The optimal repackaged algorithm for radioactive waste reduction is comprised based on nuclide pattern association indicators, classification by nuclide level of small-packaged waste, and nuclide concentration. Optimization simulation is carried out in the order of deriving nuclide concentration by small-packaged, normalizing drum minimization as a function of purpose, normalizing constraints, and optimization. Two scenarios were applied to the simulation. In Scenario 1 (generating facilities and repackaged by medium classification without optimization), it was assumed that there are 886 low-level drums and 52 very low-level drums. In Scenario 2 (generating facilities and repackaged by medium classification with optimization), 708 and 230 drums were assigned to the low-level and very low-level drums, respectively. As a result of the simulation, when repackaged in consideration of the nuclide concentration and constraints according to the generating facility cluster & middle classification by small package (Scenario 2) the low-level drum had the effect of reducing 178 drums from the baseline value of 886 drums to 708 drums. It was found that the reduced packages were moved to the very low-level drum. The system that manages the full life-cycle of radioactive waste can be operated effectively only when the function of predicting or tracking the occurrence of radioactive waste drums from the source of radioactive waste to the disposal site is secured. If the main factors affecting the concentration and pattern of nuclides are systematically managed through these systems, the system will be used as a useful tool for policy decisions that can prevent human error and drastically reduce the generation of disposable drums.

일본의 고준위방사성폐기물 관리법제

박진용 중앙대학교 법학연구원 2015 法學論文集 Vol.39 No.1

The accident which occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011, was an opportunity to re-explore the possibility of coexistence of technology and social issues of nuclear power plants. Nuclear power plants are facing many fundamental problems that are making it difficult to co-exist in society post the Fukushima disaster. In particular, the problems surrounding the disposal of radioactive waste that is stored for processing is the Achilles' heel for all nuclear power generations and the cause of which society must take responsibility. The radioactive waste policies in Japan are governed by the Generator Liability principle, the Principle of the Rule of Radioactive Waste Minimization, National Treatment and Disposal, and the Principle of Mutual Understanding Between the People. These policies all came into effect after the Act on Final Disposal of Specified Radioactive Waste (Final Disposal Act) which was enacted in 2000. After the Fukushima accident, the Japanese government installed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as an independent agency and announced a basic policy amendment in February 2015. The centered contents of the Commission are the resolution in the current generation, improvement of national interest, the formation of a regional agreement, improvement of NUMO, strengthening of the operators responsibility, prospect scientific presentations, reversal by the State, reversibility and recovery potential, and securing choice. Several countries have also recently experienced failure both in their low and igh-level and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal facilities and thus the selection method have been changed. Past reactive responses have been turned into adaptive staging procedures, which take into consideration scientific issues, as well as social issues, citing considerations as well as to early proactive responses to reflect changing proactive conditions from time to time in the process. Although Korea built high-level radioactive waste disposal facilities as early as the 1980’s, they have been faced with repeated political failures and to this day there is no clear target set for determining the final disposal facility. In other countries, selection of the final disposal site structure is controlled by third parties with a trusted professional competence and political neutrality is a requirement in the selection process. These countries also require complete disclosure and transparency of decision-making skills regarding the radiation hazard incentives over economic efficiency, as well as broad open discussions based on the principles of the responsible parties and try to ensure a move in the direction that will gain the confidence and sympathy of the people. As for Korea, since it is still tied up with the preparation of low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal facilities, they have not been able to take a step to publicize the way to deal with high level radioactive waste.

고준위 방사성폐기물 관리시설 부지선정절차 및 유치지역지원에 관한 법률안에 관한 검토

문병효 ( Moon Byoung-hyo ) 한국환경법학회 2017 環境法 硏究 Vol.39 No.1

정부는 2016년 11월 2일 고준위방사성폐기물 관리절차에 관한 법률안(고준위방사성폐기물 관리시설 부지선정절차 및 유치지역지원에 관한 법률안(이른바 `고준위방사성폐기물 부지선정절차법안`))을 입법예고하고 20대 국회에서 통과시키려 하고 있다. 사용 후 핵연료 및 고준위 방사성폐기물관리와 고준위방폐장의 건설문제는 안전성의 문제뿐만 아니라 주민들의 수용성, 환경 문제, 방사성폐기물의 처분비용 등의 문제들이 제기될 수 있어 결코 간단한 문제가 아니다. 이 글은 입법예고된 이른바 고준위 방사성폐기물 부지선정절차법안을 중심으로 그 문제점을 검토하고 해법에 대하여 고민하고자 하는 취지에서 작성되었다. 이하의 글에서는 먼저 고준위 방사성 폐기물의 관리 및 부지선정절차에 관한 법률안의 개별 규정들과 관련하여 개괄적인 고찰을 하였다. 특히 부지선정위원회의 설치 및 구성에 있어서의 문제점, 방사성폐기물 관리시설의 부지선정절차, 시민참여 부족, 관리시설 유치지역 지원, 원전부지 내 관리시설 등이 가진 문제점을 짚어보았다. 다음으로는 개별 법률에 대한 고찰만으로는 해결될 수 없는 근본적인 문제들, 특히 민주주의와 사회적 위험배분 의 문제, 공론화의 문제, 에너지정책 패러다임의 전환 등의 문제들에 대하여도 성찰하여 보았다. 방사성폐기물을 안전하게 처리할 수 있는 확실하고 안전한 과학적 방법이 존재하는지에 대해서는 여전히 의문이 제기되고 있으며 논쟁 중이다. 고준위방사성폐기물관리절차와 관련한 정부의 법률안은 원전가동을 앞으로도 계속하는 것을 보장하는 전제에서 출발하고 있다. 그러나 이러한 전제는 잘못되었다. 늦었지만 지금이라도 에너지 정책에 있어 패러다임을 전환하여야 한다. 정부는 현재 가동되고 있는 원전을 지금 당장 중단하거나 그것이 불가능하다면 가동연한까지만 가동하고 중단하는 방향으로 에너지 정책을 변경하여야 한다. 그것이 원전관리 및 방사성폐기물관리로부터 발생할 수 있는 리스크를 줄일 수 있는 최선의 방법이다. On November 2, 2016, the government announced a bill on the procedure for selecting sites for high-level radioactive waste management facilities and Supporting Local Areas(the so-called “High-Level Radioactive Waste Site Selection Procedure Bill”)) The government is trying to pass it in the 20th National Assembly in South-Korea. The management of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste and the construction of high-level nuclear facilities may raise not only safety issues, but also problems such as residents` acceptance, environmental problems, and disposal costs for radioactive waste. This isn`t simple. This paper is based on the so - called high - level radioactive waste site selection proposal bill, which is anticipated by legislation. First, I reviewed the regulations of the law on the management and site selection procedures of high-level radioactive waste. In particular, the problems of installation and construction of site selection committee, site selection procedure of radioactive waste management facility, lack of citizen participation, support of management facility attraction area, and management facility in NPP site were discussed. I also looked at fundamental issues such as the issue of democracy and social risk allocation, the issue of public debate, and the transition of the energy policy paradigm, which can not be solved by examining individual laws. Whether there is a clear and safe scientific way to safely dispose of radioactive waste remains questionable and is still debated. The government`s bill on high-level radioactive waste management procedures is based on the premise that nuclear power plants will continue to operate. But this premise was wrong. It is late, but it should change the paradigm in energy policy now. Thegovernment should change its energy policy to shut down the nuclear power plant now in operation or, if that is not possible, to stop operation only for a short period of time. This is the best way to reduce the risks that can arise from nuclear plant management and radioactive waste management.