Hyundai E&C has completed excavation of a spent nuclear fuel deposition hole at scale in bedrock at its research demonstration site.
Through the HMG Construction Technology Research Institute, Hyundai’s integrated R&D organisation, the company is developing the core technologies needed to construct disposal facilities, including excavation equipment and methods as well as rock monitoring. The test hole is part of a government-funded R&D project on spent nuclear fuel management led by the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD).
The dedicated deposition hole excavation equipment developed by Hyundai E&C measures 1.75m in diameter and 5.7m in length. It is designed to meet the deposition hole specifications and construction conditions required by the Korea Advanced Disposal System (KORADIS).
The equipment features a “foldable cutterhead”, which addresses the need to excavate multiple deposition holes repeatedly at a disposal facility. Once excavation is complete, the cutterhead is folded so the equipment can be safely retrieved and reused.
Hyundai E&C verified the equipment’s performance and constructability by carrying out full-scale deposition hole excavation in rock in an underground research tunnel. During the demonstration, AI analysed excavation data in real time to assess ground conditions so excavation could be optimised.
After excavation, LiDAR-based digital mapping was used to verify construction quality and assess the suitability of the deposition hole.
The company is expanding its research beyond excavation technologies to include construction materials and rock engineering, to ensure the long-term safety of disposal facilities. It is developing concrete and grout that secure the long-term performance of engineered barriers and control groundwater inflow. It is also advancing a rock classification system tailored to Korea’s geology, along with digital rock assessment and monitoring technologies.
An HMG Construction Technology Research Institute said Hyundai E&C was the first Korean company to develop dedicated deposition hole excavation equipment and verify its performance and constructability through actual rock excavation.
