9 July 2024
- Capable of reducing the volume of radioactive waste to about a fifth, accelerating commercialization -
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP; President & CEO Joo-ho Whang) independently developed plasma treatment facility that can process radioactive waste released in nuclear power plants in a stable manner. The company proved the equipment’s stability by reaching a milestone of 2,083 accumulated stable operation hours.
The plasma treatment facility utilizes electrical phenomena like lightning to generate heat beyond 1,600℃. This facility is used in general industrial fields for metal cutting, nanomaterial development, and other similar fields. KHNP has exerted its efforts to develop the facility since 1996 to process low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste. The plasma treatment facility is capable of melting down radioactive waste materials, such as metal, concrete, soil, and asbestos, reducing their volume to around a fifth.
KHNP developed a non-radioactive waste simulation at a scale of around 4.9 tons and ran demonstrations from 2022 to June this year, reaching 140 hours for the longest time in consecutive operation and 2,083 hours of accumulated operation time. This is the first case in Korea where plasma treatment facility ran for over 2,000 hours in the radioactive waste processing field.
Ho-cheol Shin, Head of KHNP’s Central Research Institute, said, “We will continue to verify our plasma treatment technology to ensure the stability of core equipment and secure technologies for commercialization.” He added, “Not only will we apply the technology to the decommissioning of Kori Unit 1 and Wolsong Unit 1 for a stable management of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, but we will also strive to reach out to overseas markets.”...
Read the full news release here
