• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.2683-2689
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• 2024

This work investigated the most suitable type of degrader (Cu, Al or Nb) and its thickness, taking into consideration the salient aspects of concrete activation for high-purity ⁸⁹Zr production by ⁸⁹Y(p,n)⁸⁹Zr nuclear reaction. The MCNP and FISPACT codes were used to determine the optimal degrader thickness and the radioactivity of shielding concrete by neutron activation, respectively. The results showed that the optimal thickness of the beam degraders was 1.16, 3.19, and 1.33 mm for Cu, Al, and Nb, respectively. The neutron production rate per proton and the energy and angular distributions of neutrons varied depending on the type of degrader. Considering the radioactivity of the target-room concrete and the amount of radioactive waste expected to be generated, the use of a 1.33-mm-thick Nb degrader for ⁸⁹Zr production was determined to be the best choice.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2012.03a
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• pp.260-266
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• 2012

Syngas and hydrogen from the $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ coated foam devices were investigated under simulated solar radiation. The $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ coated SiC, Ni and Cu foam device were prepared using drop-coating method. Syngas production step was performed at $900^{\circ}C$, and hydrogen production process was performed for ten repeated cycles to compare the CeO2 conversion in syngas production step, $H_2$ yield in hydrogen production step and cycle reproducibility. The produced syngas had the $H_2$/CO ratio of 2, which was suitable for methanol synthesis or Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process. In addition, syngas and hydrogen production process is one of the promising chemical pathway for storage and transportation of solar heat by converting solar energy to chemical energy. After ten cycles of redox reaction, the $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ was analyzed using XRD pattern and SEM image in order to characterize the physical and chemical change of metal oxide at the high temperature.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.2073-2080
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• 2013

In this study the effects of adding alkaline-earth (IIA) metal oxides to NiZr-loaded Zeolite Y catalysts were investigated on hydrogen rich production by ethanol steam reforming (ESR). Four kinds of alkaline-earth metal (Mg, Ca, Sr, or Ba) oxides of 3.0% by weight were loaded between the $Ni_6Zr_4O_{14}$ main catalytic species and the microporous Zeolite Y support. The characterizations of these catalysts were examined by XRD, TEM, $H_2$-TPR, $NH_3$-TPD, and XPS. Catalytic performances during ESR were found to depend on the basicity of the added alkaline-earth metal oxides and $H_2$ production and ethanol conversion were maximized to 82% and 98% respectively in 27($Ni_6Zr_4O_{14}$)3MgO/70Zeolite Y catalyst at $600^{\circ}C$. Many carbon deposits and carbon nano fibers were seen on the surface of $30Ni_6Zr_4O_{14}$/70Zeolite Y catalyst but lesser amounts were observed on alkaline-earth metal oxide-loaded 27($Ni_6Zr_4O_{14}$)3MO/70Zeolite Y catalysts in TEM photos after ESR. This study demonstrates that hydrogen yields from ESR are closely related to the acidities of catalysts and that alkaline-earth metal oxides reduce the acidities of 27($Ni_6Zr_4O_{14}$)3MO/70Zeolite Y catalysts and promote hydrogen evolution by preventing progression to hydrocarbons.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.271-272
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• 2012

Bulk Metallic Glasses (BMGs or amorphous alloy) exhibit high strength and good corrosion resistance. Applications of thin films and micro parts of BMGs have been used a lot since its inception in the research of BMGs. However, Application and fabrication of BMGs are limited to make structural materials. Thin films of BMGs which is sputtered on the surface of structural materials by sputtering process is used to improve limits about application of BMGs. In order to investigate the difference of properties between designed alloys and thin films, we identified that thin films deposited on the surface that have the characteristic of the amorphous films and the composition of designed alloys. Zr-Cu (Cu=30, 35, 38, 40, 50 at.%) and Zr-Cu-Al (Al=10 at.% fixed, Cu=26, 30, 34, 38 at.%) alloys were fabricated with Zr (99.7% purity), Cu (99.997% purity), and Al (99.99% purity) as melting 5 times by arc melting method before rods 2mm in diameter was manufactured. In order to analyze GFA (Glass Forming Ability), rods were observed by Optical Microscopy and SEM and $T_g$, $T_x$, ($T_x$ is crystallization temperature and $T_g$ is the glass transition temperature) and Tm were measured by DTA and DSC. Powder was manufactured by Gas Atomizer and target was sintered using powder in large supercooled liquid region ($=T_x-T_g$) by SPS(Spark Plasma Sintering). Amorphous foil was prepared by RSP process with 5 gram alloy button. The composition of the foil and sputtered thin film was analyzed by EDS and EPMA. In the result of DSC curve, binary alloys ($Zr_{62}Cu_{38}$, $Zr_{60}Cu_{40}$, $Zr_{50}Cu_{50}$) and ternary alloys ($Zr_{64}Al_{10}Cu_{26}$, $Zr_{56}Al_{10}Cu_{34}$, $Zr_{52}Al_{10}Cu_{38}$) have $T_g$ except for $Zr_{70}Cu_{30}$ and $Zr_{60}Al_{10}Cu_{30}$. The compositions with $T_g$ made into powders. Figure shows XRD data of thin film showed similar hollow peak.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.388.1-388
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• 2001

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 2017

Characteristics of $ZrO_2$ felt supported Cu/Zn catalysts have been investigated for the production of hydrogen via methanol steam reforming. Cu and Zn in different weight percent were loaded using wet impregnation over $ZrO_2$ felt support. The catalysts were characterized with BET and FE-SEM. The performance of these synthesized catalysts were investigated at SCR=1.5, $GHSV=2000h^{-1}$, temperature=$300{\sim}400^{\circ}C$, and pressure=2.5~19.5 barA. The results showed that the $Cu^{32.5}Zn^{7.5}ZrO_2$ catalyst was most active in terms of methanol conversion and hydrogen production. The methanol conversion in steam reforming of methanol was 84.6% at 19.5 barA and furnace $400^{\circ}C$ over $Cu^{32.5}Zn^{7.5}ZrO_2$ catalyst. The catalysts prepared using $ZrO_2$ felt show higher reactor temperature than the pellet type catalyst at same furnace temperature.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.18-30
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• 2012

Zirconium is one of the most important material used as cladding of fuel rods in nuclear reactors because of its high dimensional stability, good corrosion resistance and especially low neutron-absorbing cross section. However, Hf free nuclear grade Zr sponge is commercially produced by only three countries including USA, France and Russia. So, Zr has been thoroughly managed as a national strategic material in Korea. Most of the zirconium is used for Korean nuclear industry as nuclear fuel cladding materials manufactured from Hf free Zr alloy raw material. Also, there are some other applications such as alloying element and detonator. In this review, zirconium production and recycling technologies have been reviewed and current industrial status was also analyzed. And recent achievements in innovative reduction technologies such as electrolytic reduction process and molten oxide electrolysis were also introduced.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.13-22
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• 2017

Two-step water splitting thermochemical cycle with $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ foam device was investigated by using a solar simulator composed of 2.5 kW Xe-Arc lamp and mirror reflector. The hydrogen production of $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ foam device depending on heat recovery of Thermal-Reduction step and Water-Decomposition step was analyzed, and the hydrogen production of $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ and $NiFe_2O_4/ZrO_2$ foam devices was compared. Resultantly, the quantity of hydrogen generation increased by 52.02% when the carrier gas of Thermal-Reduction step is preheated to $200^{\circ}C$ and, when the $N_2/steam$ is preheated to $200^{\circ}C$ in the Water-Decomposition step, the quantity of hydrogen generation increased by 35.85%. Therefore, it is important to retrieve the heat from the highly heated gases discharged from each of the reaction spaces in order to increase the reaction temperature of each of the stages and thereby increasing the quantity of hydrogen generated through this.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.239-244
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• 2010

Influence of Zr addition on grain stability at elevated temperatures has been investigated for extruded pure Mg and Mg-0.25%Zr alloy. The grain size of pure Mg increases rapidly with increasing annealing temperature when isochronally annealed for 60 min from 573 to 773 K, whereas the grains are stable up to 723 K for the Zr-containing alloy. The activation energies for grain growth ($E_g$) at this temperature range were determined as 75.3 and 105.9 kJ/mole for the pure Mg and Mg-0.25%Zr alloy, respectively. TEM observations on the annealed Mg-Zr samples revealed that higher thermal stability and higher activation energy for grain growth resulting from Zr addition in Mg may well be associated with the restriction of grain growth by nano-sized Zr particles distributed in the microstructure.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.520-528
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• 2008

2-step methane reforming, consisting of syn-gas production and water splitting step, was carried out over Cu-ferrite/$ZrO_2$. To improve the reactivity over Cu-ferrite/$ZrO_2$ presenting low reactivity in 2-step methane reforming, the addition of Ni was considered. As the results, the added Ni to Cu-ferrite/$ZrO_2$ improved the reactivity in syn-gas production step. However, (Cu, Ni) ferrite/$ZrO_2$ showed carbon deposition in syn-gas production step when an excess Ni was added. Furthermore, (Cu, Ni) ferrite/$ZrO_2$ showed the high durability without the deactivation of the medium during repeated ten cycles, although it showed more deposited carbon than the medium without Ni.