• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.347-353
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• 2019

The composition of the reduced fuel produced in the electrolytic reduction process of pyroprocessing affects the concentration change of $UCl_3$, an important operating variable of the electrorefining process. In this study, we examined the concentration change of $UCl_3$ in the electrorefiner according to the content of TRU and RE elements in the reduced fuel and the concentration of $Li_2O$ introduced in the electrorefiner accompanied with the reduced fuel. Considering only the TRU and RE elements, the concentration of $UCl_3$ decreased with increasing the number of electrorefining operation batch. In order to operate one campaign (20 batches) of electrorefining process, it was found that additional injection of $UCl_3$ should be conducted more than 3 times. On the other hand, the concentration of $UCl_3$ in the electrorefiner changed significantly depending on the concentration of $Li_2O$ and, accordingly the number of operable electrorefining batches decreased rapidly, showing that the concentration of $Li_2O$ is an important operating variable in electrorefining. Therefore, the results of this study show that to maintain the concentration of $UCl_3$ in the electrorefiner, the operation mode should be set by taking into account the effect of $Li_2O$ as well as the TRU and RE elements contained in the reduced fuel.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2018

In case of high contents of rare earths in the LiCl-KCl salt, it is not easy to recover U and TRU metals as a usable resource form from LiCl-KCl eutectic salts generated from the pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. In this study, a conversion of $UCl_3$ into an oxide form using $K_2CO_3$ and an electrodeposition of $NdCl_3$ into a metal form in $LiCl-KCl-UCl_3-NdCl_3$ system were conducted to resolve the problem. Before conducting the conversion, experimental conditions for the conversion were determined by performing a thermodynamic equilibrium calculation. In this study, almost all of $UCl_3$ disappeared in the LiCl-KCl salt when the injection of $K_2CO_3$ reached theoretical equivalent for the conversion, and then $NdCl_3$ was effectively electrodeposited as a metal form using liquid zinc cathode. After that, the LiCl-KCl salt became transparent, and uranium oxides were precipitated to the bottom of the LiCl-KCl salt. These results will be utilized in designing a process to separate U and rare earths in LiCl-KCl salt.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.41-48
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• 2022

Ulva compressa Linnaeus (UCL) is a green algae seaweed that performs photosynthesis and is used as a food material in some Asian regions including Korea. It is known to be the dominant species in copper ion-contaminated seas, and many studies on copper ion resistant mechanisms have been reported. UCL is known to have an excellent antioxidant effect, but limited information is available regarding its other physiological activities. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of 30% prethanol extracts of Ulva compressa Linnaeus (30% PeUCL) and the underlying mechanisms of its activity on human FaDu hypopharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells. The 30% PeUCL extracts suppressed FaDu cell viability without affecting normal cells (L929), as determined by MTT and viability assays. Furthermore, the 30% PeUCL extracts induced apoptosis, as determined by DAPI staining. The 30% PeUCL extracts inhibited colony formation effectively as well as wound-healing of FaDu cells, even at noncytotoxic concentrations. In addition, 30% PeUCL extracts induced apoptosis significantly through proteolytic cleavage of caspase-3, -7, and -9, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, and by downregulation of Bcl-2 and upregulation of Bax in FaDu cells, as determined by Western blot analysis. Collectively, these results suggest that the inhibitory effect of 30% PeUCL extracts on the growth of oral cancer cells, colony formation and wound-healing may be mediated by caspase- and mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathways in human FaDu hypopharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells. Therefore, 30% PeUCL extracts can be administered as a natural chemotherapeutic drug for the treatment of human oral cancers.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.207-215
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• 2020

The feasibility of rare earth (RE) removal process via oxidation reactions with UCl₃ was investigated using the HSC Chemistry code to reduce the concentrations of RE in transuranic (TRU) products. The composition and thermodynamic data of TRU and RE elements contained in the reference spent fuel were examined. The reactivity was evaluated by calculating equilibrium data considering oxidation reactions with UCl₃. Both RE removal rate and TRU recovery rate were evaluated for the two cases, wherein TRU products with different RE concentrations were used. When TRU products were reacted with UCl₃, selective oxidation was driven by the difference in the Gibbs free energy of each element. The calculation results imply that the TRU/RE ratio of the final product can be increased by removing RE elements while maintaining the maximum recovery rate of TRU, which is accomplished by controlling the amount of UCl₃ injected. Since the results of this study are based on thermodynamic equilibrium data, there are many limitations to apply to the actual process. However, it is expected to be used as an important data for the process design to supply the TRU product of pyroprocessing to SFR's fuel demanding low RE concentrations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.87-88
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• 2015

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2017

Densities of molten salt mixtures of eutectic LiCl-KCl with $UCl_3$, $CeCl_3$, or $LaCl_3$ at various concentrations (up to 13 wt%) were measured using a liquid surface displacement probe. Linear relationships between the mixture density and the concentration of the added salt were observed. For $LaCl_3$ and $CeCl_3$, the measured densities were significantly higher than those previously reported from Archimedes' method. In the case of $LiCl-KCl-UCl_3$, the data fit the ideal mixture density model very well. For the other salts, the measured densities exceeded the ideal model prediction by about 2%.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.1013-1021
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• 2024

A series of experiments were performed to produce a fuel source for a molten salt reactor (MSR) through pyroprocessing technology. A simulated LiCl-KCl-UCl₃-NdCl₃ salt system was prepared, and the U element was fully recovered using a liquid cadmium cathode (LCC) by applying a constant current. As a result, the salt was purified with an UCl₃ concentration lower than 100 ppm. Subsequently, the U/RE ingot was prepared by melting U and RE metals in Y₂O₃ crucible at 1473 K as a surrogate for RE-rich ingot product from pyroprocessing. The produced ingot was sliced and used as a working electrode in LiCl-KCl-LaCl₃ salt. Only RE elements were then anodically dissolved by applying potential at - 1.7 V versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The RE-removed ingot product was used to produce UCl₃ via the reaction with NH4Cl in a sealed reactor.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.145-153
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• 2022

Background: While online orthopedic resources are becoming an increasingly popular avenue for patient education, videos on YouTube are not subject to peer review. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the quality of YouTube videos for patient education in ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries of the elbow. Methods: A search of keywords for UCL injury was conducted through the YouTube search engine. Each video was categorized by source and content. Video quality, reliability, and accuracy were assessed by two independent raters using five metrics: (1) Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria (range 0-4) for video reliability; (2) modified DISCERN score (range 1-5) for video reliability; (3) Global Quality Score (GQS; range 1-5) for video quality; (4) ulnar collateral ligament-specific score (UCL-SS; range 0-16), a novel score for comprehensiveness of health information presented; and (5) accuracy score (AS; range 1-3) for accuracy. Results: Video content was comprised predominantly of disease-specific information (52%) and surgical technique (33%). The most common video sources were physician (42%) and commercial (23%). The mean JAMA score, modified DISCERN score, GQS, UCL-SS, and AS were 1.8, 2.4, 1.9, 5.3, and 2.7 respectively. Conclusions: Overall, YouTube is not a reliable or high-quality source for patients seeking information regarding UCL injuries, especially with videos uploaded by non-physician sources. The multiplicity of low quality, low reliability, and irrelevant videos can create a cumbersome and even inaccurate learning experience for patients.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.309-313
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• 2018

In this study, we prepared Li-K-Cd alloy, which meets the requirement of eutectic ratio of Li:K, to maintain the operating temperature of the drawdown process at $500^{\circ}C$ and to achieve the reuse of LiCl-KCl molten salt. The prepared Li-K-Cd alloys were added to LiCl-KCl salt bearing U and Nd at $500^{\circ}C$ to investigate the removal of $UCl_3$ in the salt. The reduction of $UCl_3$ in the salt was examined by measuring the OCP value of salt and analyzing the salt composition by ICP-OES. Reduction was also visually confirmed by change of salt color from dark purple to white. The experimental results reveal that the prepared Li-K-Cd alloy has reductive extractability for $UCl_3$ in salt. By improving the preparation method, the Li-K-Cd alloy can be applied to the drawdown process.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.373-382
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• 2020

This study proposes a method of separating uranium (U) and minor actinides from rare earth (RE) elements in the LiCl-KCl salt system. Several RE metals were used to reduce UCl₃ and MgCl₂ from the eutectic LiCl-KCl salt systems. Five experiments were performed on drawdown U and plutonium (Pu) surrogate elements from RECl₃-enriched LiCl-KCl salt systems at 773 K. Via the introduction of RE metals into the salt system, it was observed that the UCl₃ concentration can be lowered below 100 ppm. In addition, UCl₃ was reduced into a powdery form that easily settled at the bottom and was successfully collected by a salt distillation operation. When the RE metals come into contact with a metallic structure, a galvanic interaction occurs dominantly, seemingly accelerating the U recovery reaction. These results elucidate the development of an effective and simple process that selectively removes actinides from electrorefining salt, thus contributing to the minimization of the influx of actinides into the nuclear fuel waste stream.