Final Status of the Decommissioning of Research Reactors in Korea

Abstract

A decommissioning project for the Korean Research Reactors KRR-1 and KRR-2 was started in 1997 and had been carried out with the goal of completion by the end of 2008. All the facilities were dismantled and the building surfaces decontaminated. The radioactive waste was packed into 200 liter drums and 4m3 containers and temporarily stored on site until their final disposal at the national repository facility. Some of the releasable waste was freely released and utilized for non-nuclear industries. The assessment of the residual radioactivity was carried out according to the Multi Agency Radiation Site Survey and Investigation Manual (MARSSIM), and accordingly, the safety of the site release was verified. The site and buildings will be cleared for reuse for non-nuclear purposes after a review of the assessment. In this paper, the final status of the decommissioning of research reactors in Korea including dismantlement processes, waste management, and a final assessment for unrestricted use of the site and buildings as the final goal of the decommissioning project will be described.