• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.03a
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• pp.165-165
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• 2003

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.1534-1539
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• 2021

This study reports on the dissolution behavior of SrO in LiCl at varying SrO concentrations from low concentrations to excess. The amount of SrO dissolved in the molten salt and the species present upon cooling were determined. The thermal behavior of LiCl containing various concentrations of SrO was investigated. The experimental results were compared with results from the simulated results using the HSC Chemistry software package. Although the reaction of SrO with LiCl in the standard state at 650 ℃ has a slightly positive Gibbs free energy, SrO was found to be highly soluble in LiCl. Experimentally determined SrO concentrations were found to be considerably higher than those present in used nuclear fuel (<2 g/kg). As Sr-90 is one of the most important heat-generating nuclides in used nuclear fuel, this finding will be impactful in the development of fast, simple, and proliferation-resistant heat reduction processes for used nuclear fuel without the need for separating nuclear materials. Heat reduction is important as it decreases both the volume necessary for final disposal and the worker handling risk.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.415-419
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• 2004

The electrode potential characteristics of a YSZ based membrane metal oxide electrode have been studied in molten LiCL at $700^{\circ}C$ by the potentiometric method. The electrode exhibited a good potential response to log[$O^2$] and data reproducibility. The calibration plot (potential vs. log[$O^2$] was found to be linear, obeying the Nernst equation. The electrode potential showed a good reversibility corresponding to increase/decrease of the oxide ion present in the molten LiCl. The physical and chemical durability appeared to be sound after several repeated uses, resulting in reproducible results. However, "the proposed electrode" failed when metallic Li was present in the melt.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.138-144
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• 2013

Electrochemical reductions of $UO_2$ at various anode-to-cathode distances (1.3, 2.3, 3.2, 3.7 and 5.8 cm) were carried out to investigate the effect of the anode-to-cathode distance on the electrochemical reduction rate. The geometry of the electrolysis cell in this study, apart from the anode-to-cathode distance, was identical for all of the electrolysis runs. Porous $UO_2$ pellets were electrolyzed by controlling a constant cell voltage in molten $Li_2O-LiCl$ at $650^{\circ}C$. A steel basket containing the porous $UO_2$ pellets and a platinum plate were used as the cathode and anode, respectively. The metallic products were characterized by means of a thermogravimetric analyzer, an X-ray diffractometer and a scanning electron microscope. The electrolysis runs conducted during this study revealed that a short anode-to-cathode distance is advantageous to achieve a high current density and accelerate the electrochemical reduction process.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.145-149
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• 2015

The electrochemical behavior of $Nd_2O_3-La_2O_3-NiO$ mixed oxide including rare earth resources has been studied to synthesize $La_{0.5}Nd_{0.5}Ni_5$ alloy in a LiCl molten salt. The $Nd_2O_3-La_2O_3-NiO$ mixed oxide was converted to $NiNd_2O_4$ (spinel) and $LaNiO_3$ (perovskite) structures at a sintering temperature of $1100^{\circ}C$. The spinel and perovskite structures led a speed-up in the electrolytic reduction of the mixed oxide. Various reaction intermediates such as Ni, $NiLa_2O_4$ were observed during the electrochemical reduction by XRD analysis. A possible reaction route to $La_{0.5}Nd_{0.5}Ni_5$ in the LiCl molten salt was proposed based on the analysis result.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.183-192
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• 2010

An electrochemical reduction of a mixture of metal oxides was conducted in a LiCl molten salt containing 3 wt% $Li_2O$ at $650^{\circ}C$. The oxide reduction was carried out by applying a current to an electrolysis cell, and the $Li_2O$ concentration was analyzed during each run. The concentration of $Li_2O$ in the electrolyte bulk phase gradually decreases according to Faraday's law due to a slow diffusion of the $O^{2-}$ ions. A hindrance effect of the unreduced metal oxides was observed for the reduction of the uranium oxide. Cs, Sr, and Ba of high heat-load fission products were diffused into and accumulated in the salt phase as predicted with thermodynamic consideration.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.557-563
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• 2006

The electrolytic reduction of spent oxide fuel involves the liberation of oxygen in a molten LiCl electrolyte, which results in a chemically aggressive environment that is too corrosive for typical structural materials. So, it is essential to choose the optimum material for the process equipment handling molten salt. In this study, corrosion behavior of Inconel 713LC, MA 754, X-750 and 718 in the molten salt $LiCl-Li_2O$ under an oxidizing atmosphere was investigated at $650^{\circ}C$ for $72{\sim}216$ hours. Inconel 713LC alloy showed the highest corrosion resistance among the examined alloys. Corrosion products of Inconel 713LC were $Cr_2O_3,\;NiCr_2O_4$ and NiO, and those of Inconel MA 754 were $Cr_2O_3\;and\;Li_2Ni_8O_{10}$ while $Cr_2O_3,\;NiFe_2O_4\;and\;CrNbO_4$ were produced from Inconel 718. Also, corrosion products of Inconel X-750 were found to be $Cr_2O_3,\;NiFe_2O_4\;and\;(Cr,Nb,Ti)O_2$. Inconel 713LC showed local corrosion behavior and Inconel MA 754, 718, X-750 showed uniform corrosion behavior.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.35-35
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• 2004

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.337-346
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• 2020

Two commonly used ceramics in molten salt research are alumina and mullite. The two ceramics were exposed to a combination of rare earth chlorides (YCl₃, SmCl₃, NdCl₃, PrCl₃, and CeCl₃; each rare earth chloride of 1.8 weight percent) in LiCl-KCl at 773 K for approximately 13 days. Scanning electron microscopy with wave dispersion spectra was utilized to investigate a formation layer or deposition of rare earths onto the ceramic. Only the major constituents of the ceramics (Al, Si, and O₂) were observed during the wave dispersion spectra. X-ray fluorescence was used as well to determine concentration changes in the molten salt as a function of ceramic exposure time. This study shows no evidence of ionic exchange or layer formation between the ceramics and molten chloride salt mixture. There are signs of surface tension effects of molten salt moving out of the tantalum crucible into secondary containment.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.46 no.10
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• pp.646-651
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• 2008

The electrolytic reduction of spent oxide fuel involves the liberation of oxygen in a molten LiCl electrolyte, which results in a chemically aggressive environment that is too corrosive for typical structural materials. It is essential to choose the optimum material for the process equipment handling molten salt. IN713LC is one of the candidate materials proposed for application in electrolytic reduction process. In this study, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) top coat was applied to a surface of IN713LC with an aluminized metallic bond coat by an optimized plasma spray process, and were investigated the corrosion behavior at $675^{\circ}C$ for 216 hours in the molten salt $LiCl-Li_2O$ under an oxidizing atmosphere. The as-coated and tested specimens were examined by OM, SEM/EDS and XRD, respectively. The bare superalloy reveals obvious weight loss, and the corrosion layer formed on the surface of the bare superalloy was spalled due to the rapid scale growth and thermal stress. The top coatings showed a much better hot-corrosion resistance in the presence of $LiCl-Li_2O$ molten salt when compared to those of the uncoated superalloy and the aluminized bond coatings. These coatings have been found to be beneficial for increasing to the hot-corrosion resistance of the structural materials for handling high temperature lithium molten salts.