A qualitative identification and analysis of hazards, risks and operating procedures for a decommissioning safety assessment of a nuclear research reactor

Korea Research Reactor-1(KRR-1, TRIGA Mark-II type reactor), the first nuclear research reactor in Korea, is being prepared for a decommissioning. The decommissioning methods and procedures of KRR-1 ought to be based on its structural conditions and radiological characteristics. Also, a systematic approach to the decommissioning tasks must be followed by reviews and assessments of the decommissioning workers’ safety. In this paper, the characterizations of the KRR-1 facility and its installations are the focus of attention. The expected radiation exposure data for the main decommissioning objects are measured and the appropriate health and physics plans are established. Based on the hazards and operability (HAZOP) criteria of expertise and the experienced data from the KRR-2 decommissioning project, the first decommissioning project completed in Korea, the hazards and precautions to avoid harm to the workers are identified and the radiological accidents are also analyzed. In the end, the operating procedures for the decommissioning tasks of KRR-1 are established.