Siting Of Nuclear Facilities Research Articles

Optimized inverse distance weighted interpolation algorithm for γ radiation field reconstruction

The inversion of radiation field distribution is of great significance in the decommissioning sites of nuclear facilities. However, the radiation fields often contain multiple mixtures of radionuclides, making the inversion extremely difficult and posing a huge challenge. Many radiation field reconstruction methods, such as Kriging algorithm and neural network, can not solve this problem perfectly. To address this issue, this paper proposes an optimized inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation algorithm for reconstructing the gamma radiation field. The algorithm corrects the difference between the experimental and simulated scenarios, and the data is preprocessed with normalization to improve accuracy. The experiment involves setting up gamma radiation fields of three Co-60 radioactive sources and verifying them by using the optimized IDW algorithm. The results show that the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of the reconstruction result obtained by using the optimized IDW algorithm is 16.0%, which is significantly better than the results obtained by using the Kriging method. Importantly, the optimized IDW algorithm is suitable for radiation scenarios with multiple radioactive sources, providing an effective method for obtaining radiation field distribution in nuclear facility decommissioning engineering.

Technical issues and engagement processes: support for citizen and expert deliberation regarding the management of nuclear waste

Deliberative forums have been increasingly used to involve citizens in policymaking, but it is unclear whether people trust their fellow citizens to make decisions in highly technical areas like nuclear policy relative to more commonly used expert bodies. We examine public support for citizen and expert deliberation regarding the siting of nuclear waste facilities and note the role of values, views on deliberation, and civic experiences on support for each type of deliberation. We find that past civic experiences are associated with increased support for citizen decision-making. In addition, we find that underlying views on nuclear power may be more important in shaping support for a decision on nuclear waste facility siting than attitudes toward particular kinds of governance processes.

‘THE NUCLEAR SITING CONTROVERSY’ IN 1970S ITALY: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON GEOLOGY, NUCLEAR POWER AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE

ABSTRACT For more than half a century, nuclear energy has been among the main issues of public concern, and thus of political, social as well as environmental debate. Nuclear energy has generated a long-standing controversy that began with the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which comprise one of the most crucial turning points of contemporary history, from WWII up to the present. This paper aims to deal with a shorter period within this long and still controversial history. It focuses on the 1970s, when in Italy—as well as in the United States and Western Europe—the 1973 oil crisis made clear the need to diversify energy supply sources. As a result, national and international interest in nuclear power increased. The transition to a fully-fledged nuclear industry was to be achieved by the end of the century, with the launch of the first fast breeder reactors (FBRs). In Italy, the National Committee for Nuclear Energy (Comitato Nazionale per l’Energia Nucleare - CNEN), in agreement with the National Electricity Board (Ente Nazionale per l’Energia Elettrica - ENEL) and the newly established regional political bodies (Regional Councils), were entrusted with the task of drawing up the national map of sites suitable for nuclear facilities, and especially for nuclear power plants. The paper aims to provide an overview of the main geological issues that fueled the Italian ‘nuclear siting controversy’ during the 1970s. It focuses also on some still unpublished topics, such as those about the ENEL–CNEN Joint Study Commission for the Seismic Problems Associated with the Installation of Nuclear Plants and the drafting of a first national map of areas suitable for radioactive waste repositories. The matters under discussion here are significant because of the link with some key issues still open in contemporary debates on nuclear energy, such as planning and siting of nuclear facilities. It is also worth noting that some current global emergencies (e.g., the war in Ukraine and climate change) have brought the European, and more generally international, debate back to the urgency of energy diversification, including nuclear power in the energy generation mix. Historical analysis, although focused on particular case studies from the past, can help to better understand such a complex issue.

Impact of the Coarse Indoor Non-radioactive Aerosols on the Background Radon Progenies' Compensation of a Continuous Air Monitor.

This paper addresses the problem of false positive alarm when using a continuous air monitor (CAM) in decommissioning sites of nuclear facilities. CAMs are used to measure airborne activity and play an important role in the radiation protection of workers likely to be exposed to radioactive aerosols. Monitors usually sample aerosols on a membrane filter. Radioactive particles sampled are detected through the alpha and beta decays that they emit. These latter ionizing particles are measured online by spectrometry thanks to a Passivated Implanted Planar Silicon detector (PIPS). Alpha and beta decays, in this context, come mainly from the natural radon progeny (218Po, 214Pb, and so on) and, in the case of radioactive contamination, also from artificial radionuclides such as 239Pu or 137Cs. The aim of the CAM is to alert the workers when the artificial airborne activity occurs, always considering the presence of a variable background due to the natural particulate airborne activity. The CAM-specific algorithm considers this background dynamically and continuously, often by using a constant parameter. However, non-radioactive aerosols are also sampled on the membrane filter. These latter make the discrimination more difficult as they lead to the deterioration of the alpha-energy spectrum. In this paper, the effect of coarse non-radioactive aerosols on the CAM response is highlighted with four aerosol size-distributions. The evolution of the background is characterized as a function of the aerosol mass sampled, with the example of a simple algorithm. Thus, in this paper, results show a positive correlation of the background with the aerosol mass sampled by the CAM. In addition, results highlight at least two different evolutionary trends according to the aerosol size distribution. An explanation of these evolutions is given by considering the penetration profile of the natural radioactive aerosols in the granular deposit above the CAM filter. The main consequence of these results is that the background could not be considered as proportional to radon progeny as it is currently used.

Ensuring Information Disclosure and Environmental Impact on Nanoradioactive Operation of Civil Nuclear Facilities in China

Japan was struck by a massive earthquake that triggered a tsunami in March 2011, which led to a severe nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of the Tokyo Electric Power Company. Now, more than 10 years later, it is widely acknowledged that the civil nuclear industry is of great importance in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving natural environmental quality, and safeguarding national energy security. Nanomaterials and nanotechnologies, which have gained wide consideration in recent years, have shown a wide variety of application potentials in the future nuclear energy system. Thus, China has been developing its civil nuclear industry throughout the years, despite the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan. As a result, China is currently one of the countries with the most nuclear power plants. However, due to the potential radioactive risk, the public has an instinctive fear of civil nuclear development. To alleviate the public’s antinuclear sentiment, the Nuclear Safety Law was formally implemented in 2018, and Measures for Disclosure of Nuclear Safety Information were issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China in 2020, both stipulating that the public has the right to obtain information about nuclear safety and be involved in related activities. The purpose of such legislation is to eliminate the public’s doubts and phobia about the development of the civil nuclear industry. However, challenges still exist. Although such suggestions have been proposed, such as information disclosure and social involvement should begin as early as the siting of such nuclear facilities, mechanisms to provide sufficient compensation to the public living near nuclear facilities should be established, and these suggestions still have not been applied in the law of China and either not been practiced exactly so far. So, even though all the suggestions have strong feasibility themselves under today’s circumstances in China, it is not easy to judge the effectiveness of these suggestions until they are fully practiced. It is the biggest problem of existing works in this paper. To highlight the serious problems in information disclosure and public involvement in the siting and construction of civil nuclear facilities, several case studies were investigated as the major methodology in this research. Moreover, a legislation study was used to analyze the current content of related legislation and regulations. A qualitative methodology was also adopted to summarize the legal problems surrounding information disclosure and social involvement during the siting and construction of civil nuclear facilities. Information disclosure and public participation still face several obstacles in China, even though laws and regulations guarantee people the right to access available information and take part in pertinent decision‐making. This is particularly true when it comes to the siting and construction of civil nuclear facilities. Thus, in the last several years, several antinuclear incidents have been initiated by the public due to a lack of information and mechanisms to participate. According to the examined cases, information disclosure and public involvement are still not sufficient during the siting of nuclear facilities. A relevant compensation mechanism for people living around nuclear facilities has not been established, and public education on basic nuclear safety is lacking. Therefore, public involvement cannot be completely realized. To ensure information disclosure and public involvement in civil nuclear facilities, this article proposes that information disclosure and social involvement begin as early as the siting of such facilities. Furthermore, operators of nuclear facilities and local governments should establish mechanisms to provide sufficient preventive compensation to the public living near nuclear facilities and attempt to popularize the science of nuclear safety to avoid public misunderstanding.

Development of a portable alpha–beta–gamma radioactive material continuous air-monitoring system

During the decommissioning process of nuclear facility sites, such as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), radioactive contamination due to alpha, beta, and gamma nuclides is present. To accurately detect these nuclides, a new phoswich alpha/beta/gamma detector is proposed and developed. A portable alpha/beta/gamma radiation continuous air-monitoring system is also developed using the proposed phoswich detector for detecting unknown radioactive air contamination. The developed phowich detector features a 6 mm × 6 mm × 6 mm-stilbene scintillator (first layer) and a 6 mm × 6 mm × 6 mm-Gd3(Ga, Al)5O12(Ce) (GAGG) scintillator (second layer). The bottom of the GAGG scintillator is optically coupled to a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). The proposed phoswich detector is capable of successfully separating alpha, beta, and gamma nuclides by applying the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) technique. The alpha energy resolution of the 5.5 MeV alpha particles using was 22.1 ± 0.21% at the full width at half maximum (FWHM), whereas the gamma energy resolution of the 0.662 MeV gamma rays was 10.3 ± 0.18%FWHM. The energy spectra obtained from the simulations agree well with those obtained from measurements. Continuous alpha-nuclide air measurements were conducted in the basement of a concrete building, where the 222Rn concentration was approximately 200 Bq/m3, using the developed portable continuous air-monitoring system. The measured peaks, which correspond to 212Bi (6.1 MeV), 214Po (7.7 MeV), and 212Po (8.8 MeV), were observed in the alpha spectrum by separating beta and gamma rays. Therefore, the developed monitoring system can be potentially efficient for the early detection of unknown released radioactive materials.

Characteristic and remediation of radioactive soil in nuclear facility sites: a critical review.

A huge amount of radioactive soil has been generated through decommissioning of nuclear facilities around the world. This review focuses on the difficulties and complexities associated with the remediation of radioactive soils at the site level; therefore, laboratory studies were excluded from this review. The problems faced while remediating radioactive soils using techniques based on strategies such as dry separation, soil washing, flotation separation, thermal desorption, electrokinetic remediation, and phytoremediation are discussed, along with appropriate examples. Various factors such as soil type, particle size, the fraction of fine particles, and radionuclide characteristics that strongly influence radioactive soil decontamination processes are highlighted. In this review, we also survey and compare the pool of available technologies currently being used for the remediation of radionuclide-contaminated soils, as well as the economic aspects of soil remediation using different techniques. This review demonstrates the importance of the integrated role of various factors in determining the effectiveness of the radioactive soil decontamination process.

A Site of Bounded Imaginaries: Local Narratives of Buan after Protests against a Nuclear Waste Repository

This paper examines a historical case where local residents in South Korea had been alienated from the decision-making processes in nuclear policy as their sociotechnical visions remained marginalized. Narratives of nuclear experts, activists in environmental NGOs (ENGOs), and local residents supporting or resisting against the siting of a repository in a southwestern rural town, Buan, from 2003 to 2005 were used for our comparative textual analyses. Imaginaries of desirable forms of life and order that constitute nationally-shared visions of “good society” profoundly delimit the shapes of futures by enabling key political decisions of a nation. With our findings, we argue that ethical problems of how to recognize and compensate for what has already happened to people around (candidate) sites of nuclear facilities remains a source of latent social conflict. Buan residents’ visions of a “good society” attainable through their practices around nuclear technology were collectively held and publicly narrated yet failed to become widely shared in the nation. If local people’s understanding of what the past has been and what the future should be like continue to stay marginalized, Korean nuclear governance with participatory initiatives will remain in its current form of “partial” inclusiveness.

Plutonium dioxide particle imaging using a high-resolution alpha imager for radiation protection

The internal exposure of workers who inhale plutonium dioxide particles in nuclear facilities is a crucial matter for human protection from radiation. To determine the activity median aerodynamic diameter values at the working sites of nuclear facilities in real time, we developed a high-resolution alpha imager using a ZnS(Ag) scintillator sheet, an optical microscope, and an electron-multiplying charge-coupled device camera. Then, we designed and applied a setup to measure a plutonium dioxide particle and identify the locations of the individual alpha particles in real time. Employing a Gaussian fitting, we evaluated the average spatial resolution of the multiple alpha particles was evaluated to be 16.2 ± 2.2 μmFWHM with a zoom range of 5 ×. Also, the spatial resolution for the plutonium dioxide particle was 302.7 ± 4.6 µmFWHM due to the distance between the plutonium dioxide particle and the ZnS(Ag) scintillator. The influence of beta particles was negligible, and alpha particles were discernible in the alpha–beta particle contamination. The equivalent volume diameter of the plutonium dioxide particle was calculated from the measured count rate. These results indicate that the developed alpha imager is effective in the plutonium dioxide particle measurements at the working sites of nuclear facilities for internal exposure dose evaluation.

Development of a Multifunctional Radiation Measurement System for the Rapid Radiological Characterization of a Decommissioned Nuclear Facility Site

In this study, a radiation measurement system with multifunctions for the rapid radiological characterization of a decommissioned nuclear facility site was developed and evaluated. The system remotely and simultaneously measures the beta and gamma radiation from the soil at a decommissioned nuclear facility site and wirelessly transmits the measurement data to the main server, which collects and analyzes the data. The radiation‐measuring part of the system is composed of a sensing probe, multichannel analyzer (MCA), and laptop computer. The sensing probe is a phoswich radiation sensor (PHORS) consisting of two inorganic scintillators (NaI(Tl) and CaF2(Eu)), each of which simultaneously measures the count rates and energies of the beta and gamma radiation. To test the performance of the PHORS, the beta and gamma radiation from a radiation source at 0–10 cm depths (at steps of 1 cm) under a soil surface was measured. The measurements show that the radiation count rates agree well with the theoretically predicted ones; the PHORS is as good as commercial radiation detectors in providing the energy spectrum of a radionuclide. In addition, a chi‐square test was conducted, and the energy resolution was evaluated. The communication part of the system consisting of a global positioning system (GPS) and long‐term evolution telecommunication (LTE) modem can successfully transmit the measurement data and their location information.

Proposal for the list of potential radionuclides of interest during NPP site characterization or final status surveys

In the research or project planning for the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant, one of several preparations will be the establishment of a list of potential radionuclides to be considered at the time of characterization or final status surveys. Reliable data for selection of potential radionuclides during the transition period to prepare for decommissioning will depend heavily on historical data at the site or, where possible, sampling analysis. However, during the transition period, direct sampling can be challenging, depending on the circumstances of the site or national regulation. A methodology of selecting potential radionuclides for nuclear facility sites which largely consists of three major processes: production of initial list of radionuclides, selection of the insignificant radionuclide that will be eliminated, and consideration of site characterization or sampling. For developing a preliminary list of potential radionuclides for Kori Unit 1 decommissioning, the list of initial radionuclides was made referring to the technical documents applied at decommissioned NPPs in the U.S and additional reference materials applied until the operation of NPPs in Korea. For the screening of insignificant radionuclides, we applied criterion of less than 0.1% of the amount of radioactivity inventory and confirmed the dose fraction using the RESRAD code. The final suit of radionuclides was established, which should be supplemented by reflecting site characterization and sampling process in the future. Thus, the methodology and results for the selection of potential radionuclides suggested in this paper can give an insight as a future reference to deriving DCGLs in relation to site remediation of decommissioning nuclear plants.

Long-Term Storage and Radioactive Waste Retrieval from Historical Radon-Type Storage Facility

ABSTRACTWithin the framework of the IAEA project “CRAFT” (2011-2014), specialists of JSC “VO “Safety” participated in working group “Safety assessment of the Radon-type facilities”. The IAEA GSG-3 methodology was used in order to address the issue of safety assessment of radioactive waste removal from historical near-surface storage facility of the Radon type. SAFRAN tool (Sweden) was used for safety assessment of a historical Radon type storage facility. Practical experience of SAFRAN application has shown that it can play a significant role in managing records and knowledge on radioactive waste, nuclear facility site, characteristics of geological environment and safety barriers. It can provide reliable long-term storage and effective management of safety related records for the purposes of safety reassessments, review and supervision.

Assessment of tornado hazard in the nuclear facilities siting areas

The potential hazard of destructive tornado effects on nuclear facilities determines the necessity to study the climatic regime of tornado passage and arrange the appropriate protection of these facilities in conformity with the national and international radiation safety standards. One of the most characteristic features of the climate in recent decades is a significant increase in the number of dangerous meteorological events, including tornadoes. The purpose of this study is to assess the level of tornadoes hazard for nuclear facilities and to determine the design characteristics of tornadoes. The data on the tornado passage through the tornado-hazardous subzone A-L on the territory of the former USSR made it possible to estimate the probability of tornadoes passing through a hypothetical nuclear facility site, showing that it does not exceed the probability of the criterion in force in Russia ? the threshold probability of 10?4 per reactor per year. It is shown that such a threshold probability can be achieved if two or more tornadoes of intensity class F5 on the Fujita scale would pass through subzone A-L. For such a hypothetical scenario, the design characteristics of a probable tornado were determined. The need to improve the regulatory and technical base in the field of nuclear facilities safety is noted to ensure their reliable protection from the effects of tornadoes.

Compensatory Control Theory and Public Opinion on Nuclear Policy: Developing an Experimental Measure in an Applied Environmental Context

In this study, we develop a novel measure of compensatory control to better understand how Compensatory Control Theory (CCT) impacts perceptions of government involvement in an environmental issue: the storage of spent nuclear fuel. Using a national survey, this study examines public opinion on nuclear waste storage, its risks, and potential forms of oversight, by creating four proxy measures of compensatory control. Those measures are used in a regression analysis to understand levels of participation and intervention in the siting of nuclear waste storage facilities. Results indicate mixed support for the measures and a clear connection to policy choices.

Establishing Outcrop Time Series at Various Depths in a Nonlinear Soil Column: An Iterative Approach

Seismic soil-structure interaction (SSI) analysis of nuclear facilities is an important consideration during design and retrofit. SSI tools used in the nuclear industry are currently based on an equivalent linear (EL) approach. Procedures for developing input ground motion for EL approaches are well established. However, the procedures for establishing input ground motion for nonlinear soil-structure interaction (NLSSI) analysis of nuclear facilities are not well established. A collaborative research group at Idaho National Laboratory has recently developed analytical methods and numerical tools for using NLSSI analysis for nuclear facility seismic calculations. NLSSI analysis for a nuclear facility allows for calculation of seismic wave motion through a near-field soil domain using either (a) vertically propagating shear and compressive waves, which is the current industry practice, or (b) a three-dimensional nonvertical wave field. This technical note presents an iterative procedure for establishing outcrop motion at a depth in the soil column for NLSSI analysis that uses vertically propagating shear waves. The approach presented in this technical note starts with a known ground motion at the surface that is deconvolved to a depth, and then the obtained motion is convolved up to a different desired location of input for the NLSSI model. To demonstrate the validity of the approach, a finite element soil column that is representative of a nuclear facility site in the United States is used to produce compatible outcrop seismic time series for reduced nonlinear soil mesh depths. The developed approach for reducing the nonlinear soil column model depth is a two-step iterative method. The first step is establishing an outcrop time series at the lowest depth considered that produces the top-of-soil response spectrum of an actual recorded ground motion. The second step is providing compatible outcrop time series at a shallower depth based on the information from the first step. A comparison of the 5% damped response spectrum from the resulting acceleration time series based on the iterated outcrop motions and the original acceleration time series is conducted. The study shows that the proposed iterative approach produced comparable results within 1% range of the original recorded time series results when sufficient iterations were performed.

Site characterization for deep excavation and evaluation of stiffness properties of backfilled soil from field instrumentation

This paper highlights the importance of site characterization for predicting deep excavation behaviour and usefulness of field instrumentation in evaluating stiffness properties of backfilled soil through analysing a deep excavation carried out at a nuclear facility site located along East Cost of India. The field-monitored data along with finite element software were employed to predict the behaviour of soil during deep excavation. A series of back-calculations were performed in finite element software by varying stiffness properties, using different soil models, and displacements obtained were compared with those obtained from filed. This coupled analysis provided an insight into in situ stiffness properties of backfilled soil, which can be used for analysing and optimizing future excavations in backfilled soil as part of infrastructure development and expansion of facilities.

Using seismic isolation to reduce risk and capital cost of safety-related nuclear structures

The implementation of seismic base isolation can substantially reduce horizontal seismic demands on structures, systems, and components (SSCs) in a nuclear facility, potentially providing significant benefits in terms of increased safety (smaller seismic risk) and reduced capital construction cost. Although increased safety of SSCs has been demonstrated previously, the possible reduction in their capital cost has not been explored. To quantify the reduction in risk enabled by isolation, nonlinear response-history analysis of a conventionally founded and a base-isolated model of a generic nuclear facility (GNF) is performed at the sites of the Idaho National Laboratory and the Los Alamos National Laboratory: sites of moderate and high seismic hazard, respectively. Seismic probabilistic risk assessment is performed to compute the mean annual frequency of unacceptable performance. The seismic risk is reduced by 7 to 8 orders of magnitude by the implementation of isolation. The costs of addressing seismic loadings are estimated for the GNF in both the conventionally founded and base-isolated GNF. The possible reductions in the required seismic ruggedness and in the cost of SSCs in the isolated GNF are quantified at both sites. A reduction in cost enabled by isolation is possible at nearly all sites of nuclear facilities in the United States, with the greatest benefit at sites of high seismic hazard, such as LANL. Two risk-calculation procedures are used in the assessment: a simplified method based on Boolean mathematics and a rigorous method based on Monte Carlo analysis. The simplified procedure, which is suitable for implementation with preliminary design calculations, produces accurate estimates of risk unless the mean annual frequencies of unacceptable performance are very small, measured here as smaller than 10−10. The sensitivity of the calculated risk in the conventionally founded GNF, to the choice of anchor period for the seismic hazard curve, is investigated and found to be insignificant over the range considered: 0 to 0.10 s.

Seismic probabilistic risk assessment for seismically isolated safety-related nuclear facilities

In the United States, seismic probabilistic risk assessment is performed on nuclear power plant (NPP) designs to calculate mean annual frequencies of unacceptable performance, including core damage and large early release (of radiation). Seismic (base) isolation is a viable strategy to protect NPPs from extreme earthquake shaking but it has not yet been employed in the United States, in part due to a lack of clear regulatory guidance. Guidance and standards for seismic isolation of NPPs are now becoming available, but they do not explicitly address risk calculations.This paper presents seismic risk calculations for safety-related nuclear structures, including NPPs, isolated using nonlinear bearings, with a focus on assessing risk associated with the isolation system and the safety-related umbilical lines. Fragility curves are developed for the isolation systems and umbilical lines of NPPs located at eight sites of nuclear facilities across the United States assuming that the performance goals outlined in a forthcoming NUREG/CR focusing on seismic isolation and Chapter 12 of ASCE Standard 4-16 are satisfied. Risk is computed for isolation systems in NPPs with and without a stop. The mean annual frequency of unacceptable performance at each site is less than 1×10-6(1×10-5) following the guidance (requirements) set forth in the NUREG/CR (ASCE 4) if a stop or displacement restraint is provided.Three strategies for reducing the calculated mean annual frequency of unacceptable performance are investigated and quantified, namely, 1) testing more prototype isolators to achieve greater confidence, 2) testing isolators for a larger displacement and corresponding axial force at a given confidence level, and 3) providing a stop. The annual frequency of unacceptable performance of the isolation system (and umbilical lines) is greater than 1×10-6 (the assumed target annual frequency of unacceptable performance), if the isolation system is designed per the forthcoming NUREG/CR and a stop is not provided, even though there is considerable reduction in risk if the isolators are tested for a greater displacement (and corresponding axial force) and/or with a greater confidence level than that required by the forthcoming NUREG/CR. The risk is well below 1×10-6 if a stop is provided. A stop is needed to achieve the corresponding target annual frequency of unacceptable performance of 1×10-5 if the isolators (and umbilical lines) are designed and tested per ASCE 4-16. The risk calculations were performed setting the design factor (the factor by which the ordinates of the design basis response spectrum per the ASCE 4-16 and ASCE 43-05 are increased) equal to 1.0. Because the achieved annual frequency of unacceptable performance of the isolation system (and umbilical lines) is less than the corresponding target set in the forthcoming NUREG/CR (a United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission report) and ASCE Standard 4-16 (that has developed from United States Department of Energy guidance), if the earthquake risk is dominated by horizontal ground shaking and a stop is provided, the design factor can be set equal to 1.0 for a seismically isolated NPP.

Geological Safety Evaluation and Monitoring of Nuclear Facility Sites in South Korea

The Korean Peninsula, located at the southeastern tip of the Eurasian Plate, is known to be tectonically stable, and no critical evidence has yet been found that would override the safety design of nuclear facilities in South Korea. Because a nuclear power plant, like other major social overhead capital facilities, could cause great damage to both the environment and society through an unexpected tectonic event, even one of extremely low probability, like the Fukushima accident, a defense-in-depth safety approach is required in geological and geotechnical site safety evaluation for nuclear projects. This paper introduces the regulatory procedures that are in place to confirm nuclear site safety and site monitoring (e.g., earthquakes and groundwater) systems applied to nuclear facilities in order to reduce inherent uncertainties within the site safety review of geological and seismological issues related with a NPP project.

The use of community benefits approaches in the siting of nuclear waste management facilities

This paper contributes to the discussion surrounding the use of community benefits (also known as added value) in radioactive waste facility siting programmes. These are becoming more widely used following a series of programme failures around the world, due in the main to a lack of local involvement. The stakeholder groups in three countries, i.e. the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia, were invited to respond to a series of questions designed to explore their attitudes and thoughts about the different community benefit approaches and related issues. Results suggest that legal controls offer a framework in which to operate, but within it negotiation seems to be a preferred method, with local conditions providing an additional perspective.