Experimental investigation on the volume reduction of irradiated graphite arising from the decommissioning of KRR-2
- D and D Technology Development Center, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Korea, Republic of)
Graphite has been used as a moderator and reflector of neutrons in more than 100 nuclear power plants as well as many experimental reactors and plutonium production reactors in various countries. Most of the older graphite moderated reactors are already shut down and arc awaiting decommissioning planning and preparation. The graphite waste has different characteristics than other decommissioning waste due to its physical and chemical properties and also because of the presence of tritium and carbon-14. Therefore radioactive graphite dismantling, handling, conditioning and disposal are a common part of the decommissioning activities. A volume reduction of the waste is needed to reduce disposal cost of radioactive waste. However the existing processing technologies are based mostly on the isolation of radioactive graphite from the environment, they are not able to provide for a significant volume reduction. For this reason, the high-temperature thermal treatment process such as an incineration or a pyrolysis is considered as promising technologies, since it provides a substantial volume reduction. Currently, the fluidized bed incineration is considered as efficient technology for the treatment of radioactive graphite waste. In this study, the fluidized bed incineration condition and the radioisotopes behavior were experimentally investigated by using irradiated graphite waste which has arisen from the decommissioning of Korean Research Reactor 2 (KRR-2). (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Three Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5990 (United States); Technological Institute of the Royal Flemish Society of Engineers (TI-K VIV), Het Ingenieurshuis, Desguinlei 214, 2018 Antwerp (Belgium); Belgian Nuclear Society (BNS) - ASBL-VZW, c/o SCK-CEN, Avenue Hermann Debrouxlaan, 40 - B-1160 Brussels (Belgium)
- OSTI ID:
- 21156335
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ICEM'07: 11. International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management, Bruges (Belgium), 2-6 Sep 2007; Other Information: Country of input: France; 3 refs.; Proceedings may be ordered from ASME Order Department, 22 Law Drive, P.O. Box 2300, Fairfield, NJ 07007-2300 (United States)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
The radioactivity analysis of {sup 14}C in the graphite samples from the dismantled KRR-1 and 2 sites by a high temperature furnace and a LSC
Regulatory Experiences for the Decommissioning of the Research Reactor in Korea
Related Subjects
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
CARBON 14
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
COMBUSTION
COST
DECOMMISSIONING
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
FLUIDIZED BEDS
GRAPHITE
GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
HEAT TREATMENTS
IRRADIATION
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PLUTONIUM PRODUCTION REACTORS
PYROLYSIS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RESEARCH REACTORS
TRITIUM