Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology · Engineering
Professor Sungyeol Choi's research lab specializes in advanced nuclear energy systems and associated safety challenges, with a focus on radioactive aerosol behavior, spent fuel management, and in-situ monitoring in harsh nuclear environments. The lab investigates the aerodynamic and chemical characteristics of radioactive particles during decommissioning, develops innovative sensing technologies like precision LIBS for molten salt reactors, and models complex phenomena such as CRUD (Corrosion-Related Unidentified Deposit) formation in pressurized water reactors. Their work bridges nuclear engineering, materials science, and environmental safety, aiming to enhance the sustainability and safety of nuclear energy systems.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Radioactive aerosols from nuclear power plant decommissioning have not been actively studied compared to those from severe accidents. However, it will be more critical issues in the future. The radioactive aerosols will deposit on the surfaces of matter and disperse in the working space. Hence, the workers in nuclear power plant decommissioning may inhale some of the aerosols during the normal operation or accident. The health effects of aerosols depend not only on the particle size but also on
The cause for sudden reconnection in reversed field pinch plasmas is determined experimentally for two cases: large reconnection events (the sawtooth crash) and small reconnection events during improved confinement. We measure the term in the MHD equations which represents the driving (or damping) of edge tearing modes due to the axisymmetric magnetic field. The term is negative for large reconnection events (the modes are stable, implying that reconnection may be driven by nonlinear coupling to
The rapid expansion of nuclear energy in China has intensified concerns regarding spent fuel management. However, the consequences of failure or delay in developing approaches to managing spent fuel in China have not yet been explicitly analyzed. Thus, a dynamic analysis of transitions in nuclear fuel cycles in China to 2050 was conducted. This multi-disciplinary study compares the environmental, security, and economic consequences of choices among ongoing technology development options for spen
An advanced nuclear reactor based on molten salts including a molten salt reactor and pyroprocessing needs a sensitive monitoring system suitable for operation in harsh environments with limited access. Multi-element detection is challenging with the conventional technologies that are compatible with the in-situ operation; hence laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been investigated as a potential alternative. However, limited precision is a chronic problem with LIBS. We increased the
Radioactive aerosols are produced during the cutting of contaminated and activated metals. They must be collected and removed by a high-performing filtration system before releasing to the environment from the decommissioning workplace. The filtration system requires regular replacement to ensure the sufficient removal of radioactive aerosols because its filtration efficiency gradually decreases. This study evaluates the efficiency and lifetime of filters while cutting metals by using a plasma a
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