A conceptual study on the repackaging of spent nuclear fuel from pressurized water reactors

Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is stored in nuclear power plants for a certain duration, transported to an interim storage facility, and finally repackaged in a disposal canister at an encapsulation plant for final disposal. Finland and Sweden, leading countries in terms of SNF disposal technology, have already approved final designs of encapsulation plants for spent fuel. In particular, the construction of the encapsulation plant in Finland is near completion. However, in South Korea, the amount of SNF produced and disposal plans are unlike those in Finland and Sweden, making it difficult to directly apply their design concepts. Therefore, this study proposes a preliminary conceptual model (draft) for spent fuel repackaging by considering the current status of SNF management in South Korea. Specifically, the study defines the layout of the repackaging area, develops repackaging operational procedures, and formulates the repackaging process. The proposed model is intended to support future detailed engineering design and will the facility can achieve validation through pilot-scale testing and detailed engineering studies as regulatory requirements and key technical data are further defined.