A dose constraint proposal for members of the public taking into account multi-unit nuclear power plants in Korea

Figures & data

Table 1. Dose constraints and reference levels used in the ICRP 103 recommendations.

Type of situation	Occupational exposure	Public exposure	Medical exposure
Planned exposure	Dose limit	Dose limit	Diagnostic reference level^c
	Dose constraint	Dose constraint	(Dose constraint^d)
Emergency exposure	Reference level^a	Reference level	NA^c
Existing exposure	NA^b	Reference level	NA^c

^aLong-term recovery operations should be treated as part of planned occupational exposure.

^bExposures resulting from long-term remediation operations or from protracted employment in affected areas should be treated as part of planned occupational exposure, even though the source of radiation is existing.

^cPatients.

^dComforters, carers, and volunteers in research only.

^eNot applicable.

Table 2. Standards applied to the design of nuclear facilities (at the boundary of the exclusion area).

Classification	Item	Annual dose limits per unit	Annual dose limits per site
Gaseous radioactive effluents	Air absorbed dose by gamma ray	0.1 mGy y^−1	For the operation of multiple nuclear reactor facilities at one site
	Air absorbed dose by beta ray	0.2 mGy y^−1	Effective dose: 0.25 mSv y^−1
	Effective dose by external radiation exposure	0.05 mSv y^−1	Thyroid equivalent dose: 0.75 mSv y^−1
	Skin equivalent dose by external radiation exposure	0.15 mSv y^−1
	Human organ equivalent dose by particle radioactive substances, ^3H, ^14C and radioiodine	0.15 mSv y^−1
Liquid radioactive effluents	Effective dose	0.03 mSv y^−1
	Human organ equivalent dose	0.1 mSv y^−1

Figure 1. Pathway of gaseous radioactive effluents.

Figure 2. Pathway of liquid radioactive effluents.

Table 3. Power reactors currently operating in Korea.

Reactor	Type	Net capacity (MWe)	Commercial operation
Kori 1	PWR^a-Westinghouse	587	April 1978
Kori 2	PWR-Westinghouse	650	July 1983
Kori 3	PWR-Westinghouse	950	September 1985
Kori 4	PWR-Westinghouse	950	April 1986
Shin-Kori 1	PWR-OPR^b1000	1000	February 2011
Shin-Kori 2	PWR-OPR1000	1000	July 2012
Wolsong 1	PHWR^c-Candu	679	April 1983
Wolsong 2	PHWR-Candu	700	July 1997
Wolsong 3	PHWR-Candu	700	July 1998
Wolsong 4	PHWR-Candu	700	October 1999
Shin-Wolsong 1	PWR-OPR1000	1000	July 2012
Hanbit 1	PWR-Westinghouse	950	August 1986
Hanbit 2	PWR-Westinghouse	950	June 1987
Hanbit 3	PWR-OPR1000	1000	March 1995
Hanbit 4	PWR-OPR1000	1000	January 1996
Hanbit 5	PWR-OPR1000	1000	May 2002
Hanbit 6	PWR-OPR1000	1000	December 2002
Hanul 1	PWR-Framatome	950	September 1988
Hanul 2	PWR-Framatome	950	September 1989
Hanul 3	PWR-OPR1000	1000	August 1998
Hanul 4	PWR-OPR1000	1000	December 1999
Hanul 5	PWR-OPR1000	1000	July 2004
Hanul 6	PWR-OPR1000	1000	April 2005
Total: 23		20,716

^aPressurized water reactor.

^bOptimized power reactor.

^cPressurized heavy water reactor.

Table 4. Reactors under construction, on order, or planned in Korea.

Reactor	Type	Gross capacity (MWe)	Start construction	Commercial operation
Shin-Wolsong 2	PWR-OPR^a1000	1000	October 2005	July 2014
Shin-Kori 3	PWR-APR^b1400	1400	September 2007	August 2014
Shin-Kori 4	PWR-APR1400	1400	September 2007	September 2014
Shin-Hanul 1	PWR-APR1400	1400	April 2010	April 2017
Shin-Hanul 2	PWR-APR1400	1400	April 2010	February 2018
Shin-Kori 5	PWR-APR1400	1400	September 2014	December 2019
Shin-Kori 6	PWR-APR1400	1400	September 2014	December 2020
Shin-Hanul 3	PWR-APR1400	1400	November 2015	June 2021
Shin-Hanul 4	PWR-APR1400	1400	November 2015	June 2022
Total: 9		12,200

^aOptimized power reactor.

^bAdvanced power reactor.

Table 5. Annual radioactive effluents from Korean nuclear power plants (years: 2006–2010) (unit: Bq).

	Site
Year	Kori	Hanbit	Wolsong	Hanul	Total
2006	6.54×10^13	6.75×10^13	4.93×10^14	5.25×10^13	6.78×10^14
2007	4.94×10^13	7.74×10^13	5.25×10^14	6.25×10^13	7.14×10^14
2008	4.56×10^13	1.36×10^14	4.78×10^14	4.48×10^13	7.04×10^14
2009	4.67×10^13	9.26×10^13	4.53×10^14	5.37×10^13	6.46×10^14
2010	4.63×10^13	8.27×10^13	3.59×10^14	5.94×10^13	5.47×10^14
Total	2.53×10^14	4.56×10^14	2.31×10^15	2.73×10^14	3.29×10^15

Table 6. Annual public dose by radioactive effluents from Korean nuclear power plants (years: 2006–2010) (effective dose per site, unit: mSv).

	Site
Year	Kori	Hanbit	Wolsong	Hanul	Total
2006^a	0.00664	0.00485	0.00348	0.00165	0.00416
2007^a	0.01510	0.00604	0.00579	0.00209	0.00726
2008^a	0.00460	0.00957	0.00831	0.00190	0.00609
2009^a	0.00226	0.00433	0.00707	0.00209	0.00394
2010^b	0.00152	0.00274	0.00696	0.00333	0.00364
Average	0.00602	0.00550	0.00632	0.00221	0.00502
Comparison to the design criteria of nuclear facilities^c	2.41%	2.20%	2.53%	0.89%	2.01%
Comparison to the annual public dose limit^d	0.60%	0.55%	0.63%	0.22%	0.50%

^aAge group: adult; number of reactors: 20.

^bAge group: infant (five-year old); number of reactors: 21.

^cAnnual dose limit per site of standards applied to the design of nuclear facilities: 0.25 mSv y⁻¹ (effective dose).

^dAnnual public dose limit: 1 mSv y⁻¹ (effective dose).

Table 7. Assessment results of licensing for construction and operation of Korean nuclear power plants in 2011.

License	Condition	Classification	Dose limits (mSv)	Assessment result (mSv)
Construction of Shin-Hanul 1 and 2	Emergency	Thyroid dose	3000	42.1
		Whole-body dose	250	0.356
	Normal operation	Thyroid dose	0.75	0.286
		Effective dose	0.25	0.202
Operation of Shin-Kori 2	Emergency	Thyroid dose	3000	28.3
		Whole-body dose	250	0.250
	Normal operation	Thyroid dose	0.75	0.447
		Effective dose	0.25	0.138
Operation of Shin-Wolsong 1	Emergency	Thyroid dose	3000	25.0
		Whole-body dose	250	0.23
	Normal operation	Thyroid dose	0.75	0.309
		Effective dose	0.25	0.221