physics

Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center

Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center rather than just read about it. In short: The Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center (WLDC) is a facility used to safely house low- to intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW) at Gyeongju in South Korea. The facility features a silo-type design, and its first stage allowed for up to 100,000 barrels of storage, which increased to a total capacity of 800,000 upon completion of the final stage.

Key takeaways

Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Reference excerpt

The Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center (WLDC) is a facility used to safely house low- to intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW) at Gyeongju in South Korea. The facility features a silo-type design, and its first stage allowed for up to 100,000 barrels of storage, which increased to a total capacity of 800,000 upon completion of the final stage.

South Korea's nuclear power program is fully integrated into the national infrastructure, supplying 30% of its electricity and 8.6% of its total energy usage. As of May 2012, a total of 21 reactors operated in the country generating 18.7 GW. Ongoing and planned projects are estimated to bring South Korea's generating capacity to 32.9 GW by 2030. Waste of low and intermediate levels was stored on-site at each plant; however, after nearly 30 years of energy generation from nuclear power, on-site storage began to reach capacity. Without a separate storage facility, South Korea's government estimated that the storage pools within the Kori Nuclear Power Plant, Ulchin Nuclear Power Plant, and Yonggwang Nuclear Power Plant would have filled by 2016, 2018, and 2021, respectively. The CANDU facility at the Wolseong nuclear power plant would have filled by 2017. Plans for storage facilities were being drawn up as early as 1986. However, the site was only selected in 2005. After obtaining the permits for the project from the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, and the construction and operation licenses from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, construction began in August 2008. By 2010, 1000 drums of LILW waste had been shipped and stored at the not-yet-completed site at Gyeongju. This was the standard-size shipment to be received on-site. Construction was completed in early 2015.

Background and Geology of the Gyeongju area

Gyeongju, located in a sediment-filled basin within the extreme southeast corner of the North Gyeongsang province of South Korea, boasts a population of 269,343 people as of 2008. In the past, Gyeongju was the capital city of the ancient kingdom of Silla and is now a culturally rich attraction. The area designated for the disposal facility sits within the Gyeongju Basin, which is built mainly of sediments intruded by plutonic rocks. It is approximately 1.1 km by 1.8 km, with the Wolseong CANDU nuclear power plant to the south. The disposal facility sits above an area composed primarily of granodiorite; to the north, a small portion is underlain by biotite granite. Nearby are the Taebaek Mountains, formed through ancient thrust faulting and subsequent fault-block motion, whose eastern reaching ranges form a steep fault line stretching to the coast. Korea is relatively geologically stable, though the Taebaek may experience slow but ongoing tectonic uplift. The main source of water in the region is the Hyeongsan River. Regional topography consists of hills of elevation ranging from 100 to 250 meters with an overall slope eastward towards the sea. Streams mirror this eastward trend and empty towards the sea. Groundwater generally flows in an easterly direction, dependent on topographical hills, ridges, and valleys.

Overview of Radioactive Waste

In Korea, radioactive waste is categorized as one of two types: low-and intermediate-level waste (LILW) or high-level waste based on radioactive concentration and degree of heat generation. LILW is categorized as having less than 4,000 Bq/g of alpha-particle emitting nuclides with a half-live for more than 20 years; additionally, the body's heat generation must be below 2 kW/m. Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) includes radioisotope waste generated in industry, hospitals, research, and the objects associated with the nuclear fuel cycle. LLRW rarely needs shielding and consists mainly of items with short-lived radioactivity. Usually, they are compacted and shallowly buried. Materials include paper, clothing, and other materials that may have been exposed to radioactivity. Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste (ILRW)has greater levels and periods of radioactivity. These materials may require a geologic burial. These materials include resins, reactor fuel rod cladding, and strongly contaminated materials. High-level radioactive waste is generated as byproducts of the Nuclear fuel cycle.

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center

In research: Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures in Gyeongju, Environmental issues in South Korea, Nuclear power in South Korea, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center in simple terms?

Why does Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wolseong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center.