• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.248-257
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• 2020

This study presents an initial design for a novel system consisting in a coupled nuclear reactor and a phase change material-based thermal energy storage (TES) component, which acts as a buffer and regulator of heat transfer between the primary and secondary loops. The goal of this concept is to enhance the capacity factor of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the case of high integration of renewable energy sources into the electric grid. Hence, this system could support in elevating the economics of NPPs in current competitive markets, especially with subsidized solar and wind energy sources, and relatively low oil and gas prices. Furthermore, utilizing a prismatic-core advanced high temperature reactor (PAHTR) cooled by a molten salt with a high melting point, have the potential in increasing the system efficiency due to its high operating temperature, and providing the baseline requirements for coupling other process heat applications. The present research studies the neutronics and thermal hydraulics (TH) of the PAHTR as well as TH calculations for the TES which consists of 300 blocks with a total heat storage capacity of 150 MWd. SERPENT Monte Carlo and MCNP5 codes carried out the neutronics analysis of the PAHTR which is sized to have a 5-year refueling cycle and rated power of 300 MW_th. The PAHTR has 10 metric tons of heavy metal with 19.75 wt% enriched UO₂ TRISO fuel, a hot clean excess reactivity and shutdown margin of $33.70 and -$115.68; respectively, negative temperature feedback coefficients, and an axial flux peaking factor of 1.68. Star-CCM + code predicted the correct convective heat transfer coefficient variations for both the reactor and the storage. TH analysis results show that the flow in the primary loop (in the reactor and TES) remains in the developing mixed convection regime while it reaches a fully developed flow in the secondary loop.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.345-352
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• 2012

Purpose: The age-hardening mechanism of an Au-Ag-Cu-Pt-Zn alloy for crown and bridge fabrication was investigated by means of hardness test, X-ray diffraction study and field emission scanning electron microscopic observation. Methods: Before hardness testing, the specimens were solution treated and then were rapidly quenched into ice brine, and were subsequently aged isothermally at $400-450^{\circ}C$ for various periods of time in a molten salt bath and then quenched into ice brain. Hardness measurements were made using a Vickers microhardness tester. The specimens were examined at 15 kV using a field emission scanning electron microscope. Results: By the isothermal aging of the solution-treated specimen at $450^{\circ}C$, the hardness increased rapidly in the early stage of aging process and reached a maximum hardness value. After that, the hardness decreased slowly with prolonged aging. However, the relatively high hardness value was obtained even with 20,000 min aging. By aging the solution-treated specimen, the f.c.c. Au-Ag-rich ${\alpha}_0$ phase was transformed into the Au-Ag-rich ${\alpha}_1$ phase and the AuCu I ordered phase. Conclusion: The hardness increase in the early stage of aging process was attributed to the formation of lattice strains by the precipitation of the Cu-rich phase and then subsequent ordering into the AuCu I-type phase. The decrease in hardness in the later stage of aging process was due to the release of coherency strains by the coarsening of tweed structure in the grain interior and by the growth and coarsening of the lamellar structure in the grain boundary. The increase of inter-lamellar space contributed slightly to the softening compared to the growth of lamellar structure toward the grain interior.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.247-258
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• 2011

Analysis of foreign and domestic patents for pyroprocessing technology of spent nuclear fuels was carried out in this study. The current status of pyroprocessing technology development in such countries as Korea, USA, Japan and EU was analyzed by classifying the patents for 1975 through 2009 according to registration country, assignee, calendar year and technology area. The major assignees' activity indices were compared in order to find out whether there is any concentrated area of technical details. Technology competitiveness of the countries was also investigated from the information of patent citation number and family size. Furthermore, some essential unit technologies required for the commercialization of pyroprocessing were derived and examined in the aspect of the state of art as well as the trend of technology development.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.447-452
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• 2003

We had clarified the reactions of the rare earth oxides($RE_2O_3$) with lithium oxide produced in lithium reduction process of oxide fuels. Oxides of scandium, yttrium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, ytterbium and lutetium reacted with lithium oxide in the higher concentration than the respective certain critical concentration of lithium oxide and formed complex oxides($LiREO_2$). The critical lithium oxide concentrations for the formation of complex oxides of scandium, yttrium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, ytterbium and lutetium oxide were respectively 0.1 wt%, 1.9 wt%, 5.3 wt%, 5.0 wt%, 3.0 wt%, 3.9 wt% 2.9 wt%, 2.6 wt% and 0.3 wt%. Cerium and lanthanum oxide did not react with lithium oxide. These complex oxides obtained from experiments have limited solubility in lithium chloride at $650^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.319-327
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• 2007

Incineration has been regarded as the best developed technology available for organically hazardous waste. However, permitting and siting incinerators to treat hazardous waste such as a waste containing PCBs is very difficult due to the public concerns associated with toxic air emissions. Recently, a lot of alternatives to an incineration have been developed and these technologies have the potential of alleviating public concerns by decreasing emissions of hazardous materials such as dioxins and furans. This paper reviews currently available alternative incineration technologies for various hazardous waste streams. Various categories of non-thermal and thermal alternative incineration technologies have been evaluated in terms of their process operating condition, applicability of a waste stream and their emission of secondary waste. Detailed descriptions of operating principles of several technologies are also provided.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.16-25
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• 2016

In severe loss of coolant accidents (LOCA), similar to those experienced at Fukushima Daiichi and Three Mile Island Unit 1, the zirconiumalloy fuel claddingmaterials are rapidlyheateddue to nuclear decay heating and rapid exothermic oxidation of zirconium with steam. This heating causes the cladding to rapidly react with steam, lose strength, burst or collapse, and generate large quantities of hydrogen gas. Although maintaining core cooling remains the highest priority in accident management, an accident tolerant fuel (ATF) design may extend coping and recovery time for operators to restore emergency power, and cooling, and achieve safe shutdown. An ATF is required to possess high resistance to steam oxidation to reduce hydrogen generation and sufficient mechanical strength to maintain fuel rod integrity and core coolability. The initiative undertaken by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is to demonstrate the feasibility of developing an ATF cladding with capability to maintain its integrity in $1,200-1,500^{\circ}C$ steam for at least 24 hours. This ATF cladding utilizes thin-walled Mo-alloys coated with oxidation-resistant surface layers. The basic design consists of a thin-walled Mo alloy structural tube with a metallurgically bonded, oxidation-resistant outer layer. Two options are being investigated: a commercially available iron, chromium, and aluminum alloy with excellent high temperature oxidation resistance, and a Zr alloy with demonstratedcorrosionresistance.Asthese composite claddings will incorporate either no Zr, or thin Zr outer layers, hydrogen generation under severe LOCA conditions will be greatly reduced. Key technical challenges and uncertainties specific to Moalloy fuel cladding include: economic core design, industrial scale fabricability, radiation embrittlement, and corrosion and oxidation resistance during normal operation, transients, and severe accidents. Progress in each aspect has been made and key results are discussed in this document. In addition to assisting plants in meeting Light Water Reactor (LWR) challenges, accident-tolerant Mo-based cladding technologies are expected to be applicable for use in high-temperature helium and molten salt reactor designs, as well as nonnuclear high temperature applications.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Global population is expected to reach nine billion in 2050 and the total demand for food is expected to increase approximately by 60 percent by 2050 as compared to 2005. Therefore, it is important to increase crop production in order to meet the global demand for food. Slow release fertilizers have been developed and designed in order to improve the efficiency of fertilizers. Mineral-based slow release fertilizers are useful because the minerals have a crystalline structure and are environmentally friendly in a soil. This review focuses on slow release fertilizers based on montmorillonite, zeolite, and layered double hydroxide phases as a host for nutrients, especially N. Urea was successfully stabilized in the interlayer space of montmorillonite by the formation of urea-Mg or Ca complex, $[(Urea)_6Mg\;or\;Ca]^{2+}$ protecting its rapid degradation in soils. Naturally occurring zeolites occluded with ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate by molten salt treatment could be used as slow release fertilizer because the occlusion process increased the capacity of zeolites to store nutrients in addition to exchangeable cations. Additionally, surface-modified zeolites could also be used as slow release fertilizer because the modified surface showed high affinity for anionic nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate. Moreover, there were attempts to develop and use synthetic layered double hydroxide as a carrier of nitrate because it has positively charged layers which electrostatically bond nitrate anions. Kaolin was also tested by combining with a polymer or through the mechanical-chemical process for slow release of nutrients.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.161-176
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• 2021

In this study, the electrochemical behavior of Sm on the binary liquid Al-Ga cathode in the LiCl-KCl molten salt system is investigated. First, the co-reduction process of Sm(III)-Al(III), Sm(III)-Ga(III), and Sm(III)-Ga(III)-Al(III) on the W electrode (inert) were studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), square-wave voltammetry (SWV) and open circuit potential (OCP) methods, respectively. It was identified that Sm(III) can be co-reduced with Al(III) or Ga(III) to form Al_zSm_y or Ga_xSm_y intermetallic compounds. Subsequently, the under-potential deposition of Sm(III) at the Al, Ga, and Al-Ga active cathode was performed to confirm the formation of Sm-based intermetallic compounds. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analyses indicated that Ga₃Sm and Ga₆Sm intermetallic compounds were formed on the Mo grid electrode (inert) during the potentiostatic electrolysis in LiCl-KCl-SmCl₃-AlCl₃-GaCl₃ melt, while only Ga₆Sm intermetallic compound was generated on the Al-Ga alloy electrode during the galvanostatic electrolysis in LiCl-KCl-SmCl₃ melt. The electrolysis results revealed that the interaction between Sm and Ga was predominant in the Al-Ga alloy electrode, with Al only acting as an additive to lower the melting point.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.277-288
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• 2010

The hot corrosion properties of heat-resistant steels were investigated in an oxidation atmosphere including artificial ash and sulfur dioxide. The heat-resistant steels of T22, T92, T122, T347HFG, Super304H and HR3C were evaluated at 620, 670 and $720^{\circ}C$ for 400 hours. The relationship between the corrosion rate and the temperature followed a bell-shaped curve with a peak rate at around $670^{\circ}C$. The corrosion rates showed a decreasing tendency as the chrome contents of these steels increased from 2.15 wt.% to 24.5 wt.%, and austenitic steels had a lower corrosion rate than ferritic steels. Sulfidation by $SO_2$ as well as molten salt corrosion also had an effect on the total corrosion rate, especially showing an increase in the corrosion rate in ferritic steels. Regardless of the chrome content in the steels and irrespective of the test temperature, the corrosion scale was composed of an outer oxide and an artificial ash mixed layer, a middle oxide layer and inner sulfide, and a mixed oxide layer. As the chrome content increased, the proportion of chrome oxide in the corrosion scale increased. Before spalling of the corrosion scale, voids and cracks were initiated in the sulfide and the mixed oxide layer or at the interface with the substrate.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.696-701
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• 2012

Non-aqueous processes have been developed for stable management and reuse of spent fuels. Nowadays, a plan for the management of spent fuel is being sought focusing on a non-aqueous process in Korea. Named as pyroprocessing, it includes an electrolytic reduction process using molten salt at high temperature for the spent fuels, which provides metallic product for a following electro-refining process. The electrolytic reduction process utilizes electrochemical reaction producing Li to convert oxides into metals in high temperature LiCl medium. Various kinds of elements in the spent fuels would be distributed in the system according to their respective reactivity with the reductant, Li, and the medium, LiCl. This study elucidates the reactions of the elements to understand the behavior of composite elements on the spent fuels by thermodynamic calculations. Uranium and transuranic are reduced into their metallic forms while rare-earth oxides, except for Eu, are stable against the reaction at a process temperature. This study also covers the tendency of reactions with respect to the temperature and, finally, estimates radioactivity and heat load on the distributed phases based on the reference spent fuel characteristics.