Development of new safety technology to prevent radioactive material leakage < Nuclear Safety Technology < R&D Activities

Background

High public demand for safe operation of nuclear power plants and environment-friendly management of spent fuel and radioactive waste
Goal

Provide safety technologies that practically eliminate the radiation risk of nuclear facilities and provide safety management solutions for spent fuel that minimize the burden on future generations
Significance

Pursue optimal safety of nuclear power to protect public health, which is the top priority of the national agenda

*(Goal)* Full-scope safety R&Ds, including accident prevention, accident mitigation, and quick response to protect public health

*(Accident prevention)* Utilizing the capability of advanced nuclear technology, such as ICT, the resistance to nuclear accidents can be improved to the level of the public expectations for safety. Early diagnosis and prevention of abnormal signs in nuclear power plants, resolution of safety issues including earthquake, fire, and multi-unit risk, Development of innovative materials to improve the safety of nuclear components, etc.

*(Accident mitigation)* Severe accident prevention and severe accident mitigation by improving accident management Improvement of nuclear safety equipment and reduction of human error, risk reduction for severe accident prevention, etc.

*(Quick response)* Improve emergency response and management and strengthen technologies for the protection and decommissioning of radioactive materials under nuclear accidents National accident management system using big data, development of preliminary evaluation technology for high radiation concentration area under accident, etc.

*(Utilizing and operation of large-scale test facilities)* Ensure the world-class safety research capabilities by safely operating and utilizing large-scale test facilities

*(Leading a safety research hub in Northeast Asia)* Contributing to strengthening nuclear safety and technology competitiveness through international joint research using large-scale test facilities such as ATLAS

*(Securing the safety of nuclear facilities at KAERI)* Operation monitoring and safety enhancement of nuclear facilities at KAERI such as HANARO, fuel cycle research facilities, etc.

Research Topics

Technology for virtual reactor
Technology for nuclear fuel safety
Technologies for resolution of safety issues, including earthquake, fire, and multi-unit risk
Technologies for safety system and human performance enhancement
Technology for national accident management system
Technology for preliminary evaluation of high radiation concentration area under accident

Research Facilities
Flow Accelerated Corrosion Testing System (FACTS) for pipe in NPP
Test facility verifying and monitoring flow accelerated corrosion for pipe in simulated secondary side environment of nuclear power plant
Research Facilities
ATLAS test facility
ATLAS (Advanced Thermal-hydraulic Test Loop for Accident Simulation) is a large-scale thermal-hydraulic integral effect test facility for evolutionary pressurized water reactors, APR1400 and OPR1000. ATLAS can simulate various transients, design basis accidents, and beyond design basis accidents for APR1400 and OPR1000, including LBLOCAs, SBLOCAs, SGTRs, MSLBs, FLBs, mid-loop operation modes, SBO, TLOFW, etc. ATLAS was defined as one of the critical facilities for safety research of PWRs in an OECD report. In addition, it is being used to verify new safety design features of the next generation pressurized reactors including APR+.
Research Facilities
Reactor Coolant Pump (RCP) test facility
The RCP test facility is used to verify the performance of the prototype RCP of the APR1400. RCP is required to carry out various kinds of performance tests, including an endurance test under the plant operation conditions, prior to installation at a nuclear power plant. For the development and commercialization of the APR1400 RCP, the construction of a test facility is essential for validating the pump’s performance and the operating reliability.
Research Facilities
SMART-ITL facility
The SMART-ITL facility is a large-scale thermal-hydraulic integral effect test facility for the SMART design. The facility is be used to understand the various phenomena during the steady-state and transient conditions of SMART and to validate its safety systems.
Research Facilities
VESTA test facility
The VESTA test facility was designed and constructed to perform verification tests for the development of an ex-vessel core catcher, which is one of the severe accident mitigation systems. Not only simulant materials but also reactor materials are accommodated in the test facility. Afterward, the test facility can perform various tests using melts to resolve severe accident issues with some modifications.
Research Facilities
ARIEL test facility
KAERI constructed the ARIEL (Aerosol Removal and Iodine ELimination) test facility to perform the integral verification tests of the FCVS (filtered containment venting system). Decontamination factors of aerosol, elemental iodine, and organic iodine for the test mock-up are measured in the ARIEL test facility.
Research Facilities
S/W package for multi-unit risk at KAERI
KAERI developed a S/W package for multi-unit risk assessment, which can be used for multi-unit accident scenario identification, characterization, and quantification. The S/W package is now being used in the research work of both the regulatory body and utilities in Korea.
Research Facilities
Mechanical Alloying Equipment for Advanced Nuclear Materials Development
Mechanical alloying equipment for developing advanced neutron irradiation resistant materials using an oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) technology
Research Facilities
Nuclear robot test facility
Nuclear robots, which are used for maintenance, emergency response, and decommissioning of nuclear facilities, perform tasks on behalf of people in areas where human access is difficult.
For real nuclear applications of robots, nuclear robot test facilities are essential to improve the performance and reliability of nuclear robots through repetitive tests in various conditions.
This test facility consists of various task environments, including high altitude areas, narrow spaces, and a non-planar area, which were selected by robot mission analysis, and most were built similarly to the real nuclear facilities.
Research Facilities
Test Facility for Structural Health Monitoring & Diagnosis Technology Development
Test Facility for Structural Health Monitoring & Diagnosis of the pressure boundary components in a nuclear power plant has been operated by the Robot & Diagnosis Team of KAERI. This scaled-downed facility consists of a mockup of reactor vessel, a steam generator, piping system, a coolant pump, instrumental system, control equipment, etc.
The primary goal of the facility is to provide experimental engineering data for the development and verification of structural health monitoring and diagnostic technologies. The test facility is capable of simulating both normal conditions and a variety of anomalous scenarios that include: