kings logo

We are pleased to announce that Mr. Moses Oboo, a second-year student in the Department of Nuclear Power Plant Engineering, has been selected as a finalist in the student competition session of the 11th International Symposium on Radiation Safety and Detection Technology (ISORD-11).

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Moses Oboo for his remarkable accomplishment. We are proud to have him represent our school at ISORD-11 and wish him the best of luck in the student competition session.

Abstract of Mr. Moses Oboo’s paper is:
This paper aims to evaluate the impact of the radionuclide releases from the severe loss of coolant accident (LOCA) of the APR1400-Shin Kori nuclear power plant, the latest advanced Pressurized water reactor (PWR) type developed by the Republic of Korea. In a PWR, water is used as both the coolant and the moderator for the reactor core, where it absorbs heat from the fuel rods before circulating to the steam generator. A LOCA occurs when there is a loss of coolant from the RCS, which can be caused by a breach in the piping or a failure of a component such as a pump or valve. A LOCA can result in a rapid decrease in the water level in the core, which can cause the fuel rods to overheat and potentially melt. To prevent or mitigate the effects of a LOCA, PWRs are designed with a number of safety features, including emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) that rapidly inject coolant into the core after a LOCA, and containment structures that prevent the release of radioactive materials to the environment in the event of a breach in the primary containment. However, in the case of a severe accident, all these mitigation measures usually fail, and radioactive materials are released to the environment, posing significant health risks to workers and members of the public. The LOCA will be simulated using the RASCAL code to obtain relevant source terms. This study will consider the four radionuclides of 133Xe, 131I, 134Cs, and 137Cs which pose serious risks to human health and the environment (S. Hashimoto, etal; 2022) and this will then be input into the GEN II code to calculate individual effective doses in 16 different compass directions at appropriate distances from the NPP site. The study will consider several parameters that can influence individual effective dose, including the magnitude of the radionuclide releases, the consumption rate of common foods by people living near Shin Kori NPP, the exposure pathways considered, and the meteorological data for the area. The output results will provide the contributions of each exposure pathways to radiation exposure, the individual effective doses at specific directions and distances from the NPP, and depending on the magnitude of the doses, it will provide necessary information for emergency responders in the particular area where people will need sheltering or evacuation in case of such a severe accident on the Shin Kori Nuclear Power Plant.

Attachment: The paper “Radiological Assessment of Loss of Coolant Accident from Shin Kori Nuclear Power Plant, Mr. Moses Oboo, Prof. Kim Ju-youl, The 11th International Symposium on Radiation Safety and Detection Technology, Seoul, Korea, July 4-7, 2023”