• 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.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2020

Molten salt solutions consisting of eutectic LiCl-KCl and concentrations of samarium chloride (0.5 to 3.0 wt%) at 500℃ were analyzed using both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The CV technique gave the average diffusion coefficient for Sm³⁺ over the concentration range. Equipped with Sm³⁺ diffusion coefficient, the Randles-Sevcik equation predicted Sm³⁺ concentration values that agree with the given experimental values. From CV measurements; the anodic, cathodic, and half-peak potentials were identified and subsequently used as a parameter to acquire EIS spectra. A six-element Voigt model was used to model the EIS data in terms of resistance-time constant pairs. The lowest resistances were observed at the half-peak potential with the associated resistance-time constant pairs characterizing the reversible reaction between Sm³⁺ and Sm²⁺. By extrapolation, the Voigt model estimated the polarization resistance and established a polarization resistance-concentration relationship.

• 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.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.176-181
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• 2016

Recent years, supercapacitors have been attracting a growing attention as an efficient energy storage, due to their long-lifetime, device reliability, simple device structure and operation mechanism and, most importantly, high power density. Along with the increasing interest in flexible/stretchable electronics, the supercapacitors with compatible mechanical properties have been also required. A eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) liquid metal could be a strong candidate as a soft electrode material of the supercapacitors because of its insulating surface oxide layer for electric double layer formation. Here, we report the electrochemical study on the charging/reaction process at the interface of EGaIn liquid metal and electrolyte. Numerical fitting of the charging current curves provides the capacitance of EGaIn/insulating layer/electrolyte (${\sim}38F/m^2$). This value is two orders of magnitude higher than a capacitance of a general metal electrode/electrolyte interface.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.360-367
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• 2016

A windowless spallation target can provide a neutron source and maintain neutron chain reaction for a subcritical reactor, and is a key component of China's nuclear waste transmutation of coupling accelerator and subcritical reactor. The main issue of the windowless target design is to form a stable and controllable free surface that can ensure that energy spectrum distribution is acquired for the neutron physical design when the high energy proton beam beats the lead-bismuth eutectic in the spallation target area. In this study, morphology and flow characteristics of the free surface of the windowless target were analyzed through the volume of fluid model using computational fluid dynamics simulation, and the results show that the outlet cross section size of the target is the key to form a stable and controllable free surface, as well as the outlet with an arc transition. The optimization parameter of the target design, in which the radius of outlet cross section is $60{\pm}1mm$, is verified to form a stable and controllable free surface and to reduce the formation of air bubbles. This work can function as a reference for carrying out engineering design of windowless target and for verification experiments.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 2002

The growth kinetics of intermetallic compound layers formed between the eutectic Sn-3.5Ag solder and the Cu and Ni/Cu pad by solid stateisothermal aging were examined. The interfacial reaction between the eutectic Sn-3.5Ag solder and the Cu and Ni/Cu pad was investigated at 70, 120, 150, $170^{\circ}C$ for various times. The intermetallic compound layer was composed of two phase: $Cu_6Sn_5$(${\varepsilon}-phase$) adjacent to the solder and $Cu_6Sn_5$(${\varepsilon}-phase$) adjacent to the copper and on solder/Ni pad the intermetallic compound layer was $Ni_3Sn_4$. Because the values of time exponent(n) have approximately 0.5, the layer growth of the intermetallic compound was mainly controlled by volume diffusion over the temperature range studied. The apparent activation energy for layer growth of total Cu-Sn($Cu_6Sn_5 + Cu_6Sn$), $Cu_6Sn_5$, $Cu_3Sn$ and $Ni_3Sn_4$ intermetallic compound were 64.82kJ/mol, 48.53kJ/mol, 89.06kJ/mol and 71.08kJ/mol, respectively.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.421-437
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• 2020

This study provides an assessment on a proposed method for separation of cesium, strontium, and barium using electrochemical reduction at a liquid bismuth cathode in LiCl-KCl eutectic salt, investigated via cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS). CV studies were performed at temperatures of 723-823 K and concentrations of the target species up to 4.0wt%. Redox reactions occurring during potential sweeps were observed. Concentration of BaCl2 in the salt did not seem to influence the diffusivity in the studied concentration range up to 4.0wt%. The presence of strontium in the system affected the redox reaction of lithium; however, there were no distinguishable redox peaks that could be measured. Impedance spectra obtained from EIS methods were used to calculate the exchange current densities of the electroactive active redox couple at the bismuth cathode. Results show the rate-controlling step in deposition to be the mass transport of Cs+ ions from the bulk salt to the cathode surface layer. Results from SEM-EDS suggest that Cs-Bi and Sr-Bi intermetallics from LiCl-KCl salt are not thermodynamically favorable.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2013

In the DBC (direct bonding of copper) process the oxygen partial pressure surrounding the AlN/Cu bonding pairs has been controlled by Ar gas mixed with oxygen. However, the direct bonding of Cu with sound interface and good adhesion strength is complicated process due to the difficulty in the exact control of oxygen partial pressure by using Ar gas. In this study, we have utilized the in-situ equilibrium established during the reaction of $2CuO{\rightarrow}Cu_2O$ + 1/2 $O_2$ by placing powder bed of CuO or $Cu_2O$ around the Cu/AlN bonding pair at $1065{\sim}1085^{\circ}C$. The adhesion strength was relatively better in case of using CuO powder than when $Cu_2O$ powder was used. Microstructural analysis by optical microscopy and XRD revealed that the interface of bonding pair was composed of $Cu_2O$, Cu and small amount of CuO phase. Thus, it is explained that the good adhesion between Cu and AlN is attributed to the wetting of eutectic liquid formed by reaction of Cu and $Cu_2O$.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.123-134
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• 2020

The interaction between UN and CdCl₂ in the LiCl-KCl molten eutectic was studied at 773 K. The reaction was controlled by sampling the melt, as well as by analysis of the resulting precipitate. The process was shown to proceed according to several parallel reactions. The summary reaction was determined to have two stages: a fast one and a slow one. The 19-53% UN → UCl₃ conversion was obtained for the molar ratio of CdCl₂/UN = 1.22-14.9. The rest of UN converts into the precipitate of complex composition (UNCl + U₂N₃ + U₄N₇ + UN₂). The increase in the CdCl₂/UN molar ratio from 1.22 to 14.9 resulted in the decrease in duration of the first "fast" stage of the process from 18 h to 1 h.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify effects of EMLA (Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetics) cream application on pain perception and pain response during insertion of implanted venous access port needle in children with cancer. Methods: From December 2010 to August 2011, at U university hospital, 20 patients scheduled for implanted venous access port needle insertion were recruited, and randomly assigned to receive either EMLA or a placebo cream 1 hour before the implanted venous access port needle insertion. While conducting needle insertion, changes in pulse and oxygen saturation on the pulse oxymeter monitor were measured and pain behavior reaction was also measured during needle insertion in the treatment room. After conducting needle insertion, self-reported pain reaction, and mothers' perception of the children's pain reaction were measured. Collected data were statistically processed using SPSS version 17.0 for Windows, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test. Results: Children's self-reported degree of pain, degree of pain as perceived by mothers and pain behavior reaction decreased significantly in the EMLA application group compared with the placebo group. Conclusion: Findings indicate that application of EMLA cream is effective in relieving pain in these children during implanted venous access port needle insertion.