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Nuclear energy

Korea Initiates Development of Underground Research Laboratory for High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Researchers from the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute have made significant strides in the development of high-level radioactive waste disposal technology, with the initiation of an underground research laboratory (URL) at a depth of 500m. This project, funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning, Republic of Korea, and the Institute for Korea Spent Nuclear Fuel (iKSNF), aims to validate the long-term performance of the engineered barrier system (EBS) under deep geological conditions. The research focuses on the long-term safety evaluations of EBS, a key component of a multi-ministerial R&D project for spent nuclear fuel management.

Key Takeaways:

  • The underground research laboratory (URL) project has been initiated to facilitate a full-scale demonstration of high-level radioactive waste disposal technology at a depth of 500m.
  • The research focuses on the long-term safety evaluations of the engineered barrier system (EBS), which is a critical component of a recently launched multi-ministerial R&D project for spent nuclear fuel management.
  • The project has four key areas of research: establishing performance criteria for engineered barrier materials, characterizing interactions among EBS components, investigating coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) behaviors, and developing core technologies for in situ validation of EBS performance and coupled interactions.
  • The research has been peer-reviewed and is expected to enhance the scientific basis for safety assessments and licensing in a disposal repository, as well as serve as a bridge for full-scale research at actual disposal depths utilizing URLs.

Statistics:

  • The project is expected to last for nine years (2021-2029) and is currently in its second phase (2024-2026), focusing on engineering-scale experiments, numerical model development, and preparation for large-scale field demonstration in the third phase.
  • The research involves core technologies for in situ validation of EBS performance and coupled interactions.
  • The project has a total of 23 authors, including Jin-Seop Kim, Changsoo Lee, Seok Yoon, Minsoo Lee, Minhyeong Lee, Kwang-Il Kim, Seungbeom Choi, Young Ho Lee, Ji-Won Kim, Yohan Cha, Jung-Tae Kim, Chang-Ho Hong, Taehyung Park, Minseop Kim, Taehyun Kim, Seong-Jun Ha, Saeha Kwon, Yonghyeon Lee, and Jang-Soon Kwon.

Sources:

  • Advancements In Long-term Safety Evaluation Technology for Engineered Barrier System (Ebs): a Comprehensive Review of Korea's High-level Waste Disposal R&d Program. Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025.
  • Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering can be contacted at: Korean Institute Chemical Engineers, F.5, 119, Anam-Ro, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul 136-075, South Korea.
  • Springer - www.springer.com
  • Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering - www.springerlink.com/content/0256-1115/
  • NewsRx LLC - NewsRx. Study Results from Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Broaden Understanding of Technology [Advancements In Long-term Safety Evaluation Technology for Engineered Barrier System (Ebs): a Comprehensive Review of Korea's High-level Waste ...]. Journal of Engineering. May 26, 2025; p 3197.

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