• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.421-425
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• 2003

The reductive extraction process is an important step to refine the TRU product from the electrorefining process for the preparation of transmutation reactor fuel. In this study, it was studied on the reductive extraction between the eutectic salt and Bi metal phases. The solutes were zirconium and the rare earth elements, where zirconium was used as a surrogate for the transuranic(TRU) elements. All the experiments were performed in a glove box filled with a argon gas. Li-Bi alloy was used as a reducing agent to reduce the high chemical activity of Li. The reductive extraction characteristics were examined using ICP, XRD and EPMA analysis. The reduction reaction was equilibrated within 3 hours after the Li addition. Three eutectic salt systems were compared and Zr was successfully separated from the rare earth elements in all the three salt systems.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.179-190
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• 1997

To study the effects of chemical composition on the fusion temperatures of coal ashes, the chemical composition, mineral matter, and fusion temperature were studied with 54 kinds of coal ash samples including Korean anthracite coals. CaO, MgO and $Fe_2O_3$ were observed to be major fluxing elements in reducing and oxidizing atmosphere. The fluxing effect of $Fe_2O_3$ was increased more in reducing atmosphere. In a base/acid ratio, the fusion temperature decreased with increasing amounts of basic components. Nevertheless, the correlation between a fusion temperature and base/acid ratio was not shown well in a higher ratio of $Fe_2O_3/CaO$. The differences of fusion temperatures between oxidizing and reducing atmosphere showed close relationship with $SiO_2/Al_2O_3$ ratio rather than with $Fe_2O_3$ contents. Multiple regression was used to predict the fusion temperature of coal ashes, and it was established that the major predictors in oxidizing atmosphere were Base/Acid, $Fe_2O_3/CaO$, $SiO_2/Al_2O_3$, and $(SiO_2/A1_2O_3){\cdot}(Base/Acid)$ and Base/Acid, $Fe_2O_3/CaO$, $SiO_2$, and $TiO_2$ were major ones in reducing atmosphere.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.14 no.4 s.66
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• pp.17-21
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• 2005

Deep-sea Manganese nodules was treated with reduction-smelting process with adding the spent Ni-Cd battery or the cobalt contained spent catalyst for recovery of nickel and cobalt metals. The nickel in the spent Ni-Cd battery could be recovered by adding $5\%$ coke as a reducing agent regardless of the amount of battery added. However, to recover cobalt from the spent catalyst, it is require to add more coke for reduction of cobalt oxide in the catalyst. The treatment of metal wastes with manganese nodules can contribute to lower the cost for the processing of nodules and to facilitate the recycling of metal wastes.

• 한국전기화학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.231-236
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• 2001

용융탄산염 연료전지용 anode의 creep 현상을 개선하기 위해 $Ni-5wt.\%Al$ green sheet를 사용하여 다양한 소결조건을 적용, $Al_2O_3$를 형성시킨 전극을 제조하고 그 $Al_2O_3$의 형태에 따른 creep 특성에 대해 연구하였다. 소결은 각각 환원분위기, 완전산화-환원분위기, 부분 산화-환원분위기의 서로 다른 분위기에서 진행하였는데, 부분산화-환원분위기로 소결한 경우 Ni-Al 고용체 네트워크를 깨드리지 않고 $A1_2O_3$를 미세한 입자형태로 분산시킬 수 있었다. 그리고, 상기의 방법으로 제조된 anode를 $650^{\circ}C$에서 100psi로 가압하면서 creep test를 실시한 결과 약 $2.3\%$의 변형율을 나타내었다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.363-367
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• 2003

Much attention has been given to an electrochemical reduction process for converting uranium oxide to uranium metal in molten salt. The process has the versatility of being adopted for reducing other actinide and rare-earth metals from their oxides. Using the metal oxide to be reduced as a integrated cathode designed originally and inert conductors as anodes, oxygen anions are removed from the cathode and oxidized at the surface of the anodes in a molten salt cell. However, the electrochemical properties of alkali and alkali-earth metal oxides in molten salt have not been investigated thoroughly, which made the process incomplete when it is considered as a unit process in a back-end fuel cycle. It is well known that cesium and strontium Isotopes in spent fuel are main contributors for head load. The properties of cesium, strontium, and barium oxides such as the dissolution rates and reduction potentials in molten LiC1 dissolving $Li_2O$ are examined.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.296-296
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• 2009

산화물 사용후핵연료를 대상으로 하는 파이로 공정은 고온 용융염 매질에서 산화물을 금속으로 전환시키는 전해환원 공정으로부터 시작된다. 이후, 전해정련 공정이 도입되어 전해환원 공정에서 금속으로 환원된 생성물을 처리하게 된다. 전기화학적 공정인 이 두 공정에는 전류전달 매질인 전해질로 용융염이 사용된다. 그러나 전해환원 공정은 LiCl 염을 기반으로 하는 반면 전해정련은 LiCl-KCl 공융염 조건에서 운전하여 두 공정의 연계성 향상 및 공정 안정성 확보를 위해서는 전해환원 공정에서 생성되는 금속전환체에 존재하는 잔류염을 제거하는 공정의 도입이 두 공정사이에 고려되고 있다. 전해환원 공정에서 산화물이 금속으로 환원되는 동안 고체입자의 외형이 유지되며 따라서 제거된 산소에 의해 금속전환체에는 공극이 발생하게 된다. 또한, 전해환원에 도입되는 산화물의 물리적 형태가 분말 또는 펠렛 등 다양한 형태로 도입 가능하여 단위 입자들 사이에 많은 공극이 발생하게 된다. 이렇게 기존재하거나 또는 공정 운전에 의해 새롭게 생성된 공극에는 전해환원 매질인 LiCl 염이 침투하여 금속전환체는 염에 의해 젖게 되며 공정 종료시 고화되어 금속전환체에 포함된다. LiCl을 제거하기 위해서는 가열에 의한 증류가 연구되고 있다. 그러나 LiCl의 낮은 증기압에 의해 비교적 낮은 온도에서 증발시키기 위해서는 감압조건이 필수적으로 고려되어야 한다. 한국원자력연구원에서는 다공성 모의 금속전환체를 사용하여 LiCl에 의한 Wetting 후 적절한 증발 조건 결정을 목적으로 온도 및 압력 조건 설정을 위한 기초실험에 결과를 수행하였다. 본 연구의 기초 실험 결과 $700^{\circ}C$온도 조건과 감압조건이 잔류염 제거를 위한 공정조건임을 밝혔다. 또한 모의 금속전환체를 담고 있는 미세 다공성 Basket은 고온조건에서 공극의 변형에 의해 증발에 대한 저항으로 작용하여 증발 효율을 저하시키는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 잔류염 제거를 위해서는 전해환원 Basket이 비교적 큰 공극을 지녀야 할 것으로 판단된다.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.77-84
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• 2010

Reduction of oxides has been investigated for the volume reduction and recycling of the spent oxide fuel from commercial nuclear power plants. Various oxide reduction methods were proposed and KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) is currently developing an electrochemical reduction process using a LiCl-$Li_2O$ molten salt as a reaction medium. The electrochemical reduction process, the front end of the pyroprocessing, can connect the PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) oxide fuel cycle to a metal fuel cycle of the sodium cooled fast reactor. This paper summarizes KAERI efforts on the development, improvement, and scale-up of the oxide reduction process.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.156-160
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• 2015

Experiments using a metal oxide of a non-nuclear material as a fuel are very useful to develop a new electrolytic reducer for pyroprocessing. In this study, the titanium oxides (TiO and $TiO_2$) were selected and investigated as the non-nuclear fuel for the electrolytic reduction. The immersion tests of TiO and $TiO_2$ in a molten 1.0 wt.% $Li_2O$-LiCl salt revealed that they have solubility of 156 and 2100 ppm, respectively. Then, the Ti metals were successfully produced after the separate electrolytic reduction of TiO and $TiO_2$ in a molten 1.0 wt.% $Li_2O$-LiCl salt. However, Ti was detected on the platinum anode used for the electrolytic reduction of $TiO_2$ unlike TiO due to the dissolution of $TiO_2$ into the salt.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.437-439
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• 2008

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.116.1-116.1
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• 2007