Review of the Requirements and the Performance Tests on Radioactive Waste Forms in Korea - 21090

The notice of the nuclear safety and security commission (the NSSC) in Korea, 2015-004, 'Acceptance Criteria for Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste', establishes that for waste having fluidity, it shall be solidified homogeneously (for disposal). The detailed requirements and the test methods on radioactive waste forms are specified in the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) of the radioactive waste disposal facility operated by Korea Radioactivity Agency (KORAD) for the final disposal. The performance tests on waste forms are conducted in accordance with the test methods to ensure that the properties such as mechanical integrity, irradiation degradation, leaching of radionuclides, water immersion, thermal degradation, free liquid, meet the requirements. The requirements and the test methods on radioactive waste forms in the SAR of the KORAD have been briefly reviewed to comprehend the difficulty of application of these requirements and methods in the field. This review has concluded that the current requirement and the test condition for irradiation should be amended because the absorption dose of 10 MGy required is too high for the low level radioactive waste forms. Also some of the test conditions for leaching, water immersion, and thermal degradation should be clarified and unified to allow the comparison of the results between different examiners. (authors)