Education

D.Eng., Nuclear Engineering, University of Tokyo, 1989
Ph.D., Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 1988

Teaching and Research Interests

Professor Ahn teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in radioactive waste management. The undergraduate course covers broad aspects of radioactive waste management, whereas the graduate course concentrates on safety assessment aspects of high-level radioactive waste disposal into deep geologic formations. His research interests involve mathematical analyses of radionuclide transport in heterogeneous geologic formations and of radionuclide release from man-made waste disposal systems. He is also interested in integrating these into an overall performance assessment model, and analyzing the nature of uncertainty incorporated in long-term assessments for radioactive waste disposal. He also teaches the Nuclear Design course for undergraduates. The course aims at providing students with an opportunity for integrating knowledge into an engineering solution for a specific problem.

Specific ongoing research projects include the following:

• the mass flow analysis and the radiological impact analysis for nuclear fuel cycles
  
• the mass transport analysis in the near field region of a geologic repository for high-level radioactive wastes, considering rock fracture networks
  
• mathematical modeling of bentonite expansion into fractures in the near field
  
• development of an integrated repository-wide mass transport model by applying object-oriented approach, where effects of multiple canisters, multiple member decay chains, detailed mass release models from waste forms are included
  
• analysis of chemical separtation processes from the viewpoint of reducing environmental impacts of high-level radioactive wastes
  
• nuclear energy and Asia.

Current Research Projects: Nuclear Waste Research Group

Repository modeling for AFCI Systems analyses

Establishment of Criteria for Separation Processes that Realize Target Environmental Impacts

Analysis and Visualization of radionuclide transport in the repository region with the multi-compartment model

Research on Effective Application of Partitioning and Transmutation Technologies to Geologic Disposal

Development of Advanced Performance Assessment Tools for HLW Geological Repositories

Impact of reductive extraction on geologic repositories

Radioactive waste disposal

Selected Recent Publications

Ahn, J., An Environmental Impact Measure for Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Evaluation, Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 41(3), 296-306,
2004

Kawasaki, D., J. Ahn, P. L. Chambré, and W. G. Halsey, Congruent
Release of Long-Lived Radionuclides from Multiple Canister Arrays,
Nuclear Technology, 148, 181-193, 2004.

Ahn, J., and T. Ikegami, Effective Application of Partitioning
and Transmutation Technologies to Geologic Disposal, Eighth Information
Exchange Meeting on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning &
Transmutation, Las Vegas, Nevada, Nuclear Energy Agency, Organization
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/NEA), Nov. 9-11, 2004.

Ahn, J., Environmental Impact of Yucca Mountain Repository,
Global 2005, Tsukuba, Japan, Oct 9-13, 2005, AESJ, ANS, 2005.

Cheon, M., and J. Ahn, Expansion of Yucca Mountain Repository
Capacity by ATW Fuel Cycle, Global 2005, Tsukuba, Japan, Oct 9-13, 2005, AESJ, ANS, 2005.

Kawasaki, D., J. Ahn, and P. L. Chambre, Markov Chain Model for
Particle Migration at the Repository Scale, Global 2005, Tsukuba, Japan,
Oct 9-13, 2005, AESJ, ANS, 2005.

Tsujimoto, K., and J. Ahn, Uncertainty Analysis of Multiple
Canister Repository Model by Earth Simulator, 11th International High-
Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM), April 30-May 4, 2006, Las Vegas, Nevada, American Nuclear Society, 2006.

Borrelli, R. A., and J. Ahn, Bentonite Extrusion in Planar
Fracture Based on Net Water Flow, 11th International High-Level
Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM), April 30-May 4, 2006, Las Vegas, Nevada, American Nuclear Society, 2006.

Kawasaki, D., J. Ahn, C.-L. Kim, and J.-B. Park, Deterministic
Performance Assessment for Conceptual Repository for Low- and
Intermediate-Level Wastes in Korea, Nuclear Technology, to be published
in June, 2006.

Ahn, J., P. L. Chambré, and B.-H. Park, Mathematical Analysis on
Partitioning and Transmutation System with a Two-Member Nuclide Chain, Nuclear Technology to be published in August, 2006.

Complete Publications and access to selected papers

Recent consulting, supported research or other non-university activities:

International Research Fellow, Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute, April 2003 to Present.
Reviewer for U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation, Science Centers Program of the U.S. Department of State.

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