• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1998.05a
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• pp.118-123
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• 1998

The neurotics analysis of a liquid metal reactor fur burning minor actinides has shown that uncertainties in the nuclear data of several key minor actinide isotopes can introduce large uncertainties in the predicted performance of the core. A comprehensive sensitivity and uncertainty analysis was performed on a 1200 MWth actinide burner designed for a low burnup reactivity swing, negative doppler coefficient, and low sodium void worth. Sensitivities were generated using depletion perturbaton methods for the equilibrium cycle of the reactor and covariance data was taken ENDF-B/V and other published sources. The relative uncertainties in the burnup swing, doppler coefficient, and void worth were conservatively estimated to be 180%, 91%, and 46%, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.863-868
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• 2014

The evaluation of thermal properties of actinide oxide fuels is a problem of high importance for the development of new generation reactors. In the present study, an expression obtained for n-dimensional Debye functions is used to derive a simple analytical expression for the specific heat capacity of nuclear fuels. To test the validity and reliability of this expression, the analytical expression is applied to $UO_2$, $NpO_2$, $ThO_2$, and $PuO_2$. It is seen that the formula was in agreement with the experimental and theoretical results reported in the literature.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.80-80
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• 2001

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.459-482
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• 2006

A geochemical approach to the long-term safety of waste disposal is discussed in connection with the significance of actinides, which shall deliver the major radioactivity inventory subsequent to the relatively short-term decay of fission products. Every power reactor generates transuranic (TRU) elements: plutonium and minor actinides (Np, Am, Cm), which consist chiefly of long-lived nuclides emitting alpha radiation. The amount of TRU actinides generated in a fuel life period is found to be relatively small (about 1 wt% or less in spent fuel) but their radioactivity persists many hundred thousands years. Geological confinement of waste containing TRU actinides demands, as a result, fundamental knowledge on the geochemical behavior of actinides in the repository environment for a long period of time. Appraisal of the scientific progress in this subject area is the main objective of the present paper. Following the introductory discussion on natural radioactivities, the nuclear fuel cycle is briefly brought up with reference to actinide generation and waste disposal. As the long-term disposal safety concerns inevitably with actinides, the significance of the aquatic actinide chemistry is summarized in two parts: the fundamental properties relevant to their aquatic behavior and the geochemical reactions in nanoscopic scale. The constrained space of writing allows discussion on some examples only, for which topics of the primary concern are selected, e.g. apparent solubility and colloid generation, colloid-facilitated migration, notable speciation of such processes, etc. Discussion is summed up to end with how to make a geochemical approach available for the long-term disposal safety of nuclear waste or for the performance assessment (PA) as known generally.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.79-88
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• 2010

Spent $UO_2$ nuclear fuel discharged from a nuclear power plant (NPP) contains fission products, U, Pu, and other actinides. Due to neutron capture by $^{238}U$ in the rim region and a temperature gradient between the center and the rim of a fuel pellet, a considerable increase in the concentration of fission products, Pu, and other actinides are expected in the pellet periphery of high burnup fuel. The characterization of the radial profiles of the various isotopic concentrations is our main concern. For an analysis, spent nuclear fuels originating from the Yeonggwang-2 pressurized water reactor (PWR) were chosen as the test specimens. In this work, the distributions of some actinide isotopes were measured from center to rim of the spent fuel specimens by a radiation shielded laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) system. Sampling was performed along the diameter of the specimen by reducing the sampling intervals from 500 ${\mu}m$ in the center to 100 ${\mu}m$ in the pellet periphery region. It was observed that the isotopic concentration ratios for minor actinides in the center of the specimen remain almost constant and increase near the pellet periphery due to the rim effect apart from the $^{236}U$ to $^{235}U$ ratio, which remains approximately constant. In addition, the distributions of local burnup were derived from the measured isotope ratios by applying the relationship between burnup and isotopic ratio for plutonium and minor actinides calculated by the ORIGEN2 code.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.10
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• pp.2274-2284
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• 2020

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Code "ANICCA" has been developed by SCK•CEN to answer particular questions about the Belgian nuclear fleet. However, the wide range of capabilities of the code make it also useful for international or regional studies that include advanced technologies and strategies of cycle. This paper shows the main features of the code and the facilities that can be simulated. Additionally, a comparison between several codes and ANICCA has also been made to verify the performance of the code by means of a simulation proposed in the last NEA (OECD) Benchmark Study. Finally, a case study of the Belgian nuclear fuel cycle phase out has been carried out to show the possible impact of the transmutation of the minor actinides on the nuclear waste by the use of an Accelerator Driven System also known as ADS. Results show that ANICCA accomplishes its main purpose of simulating the scenarios giving similar outcomes to other codes. Regarding the case study, results show a reduction of more than 60% of minor actinides in the Belgian nuclear cycle when using an ADS, reducing significantly the radiotoxicity and decay heat of the high-level waste and facilitating its management.

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05c
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• pp.373-378
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• 1996

알칼리 및 알칼리토금속(Cs,Rb,Ba,Sr), 전이감속원소(Zr,Fe,Mo,Ni,Pd,Rh), 란탄족 (La,Y,Nd,Ce,Eu.) 및 MA(Np,Am)등 17개 원소로 구성된 질산매질의 모의 방사성용액에서 옥살산에 의한 란탄족과 MA(Minor Actinide)의 공침전 연구를 수행하였다. 옥살산농도 0.5M에서 질산농도의 영향과 아스코빅산 첨가에 따른 원소들의 침전율이 조사되었다. 각 원소들의 침전율은 질산농도에 따라 약간 감소하였으나 란탄족과 MA는 99%이상 공침전되었다. 아스코빅산이 첨가되는 경우 Pd이 금속으로 환원침전되고 Mo.Fe,Ni.Ba의 경우는 침전율이 10∼20% 감소하는 것으로 나타났으나 기타원소들에 대해서는 영향이 나타나지 않았다. Pd의 환원침전은 질산농도 1.0M미만에서 일어났으며. 아스코빅산 농도가 0.01M∼0.02M 부근에서 최대로 나타났다. 하이드라진이 아스코빅산과 같이 첨가될 때 Pd의 환원침전을 억제하는 역할을 하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.407-412
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• 2014

In this research, we investigated the burnup characteristics and the conversion of fertile $^{232}Th$ into fissile $^{233}U$ in the core of a Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (SFR). The SFR fuel assemblies were designed for burning $^{232}Th$ fuel (fuel pin 1) and $^{233}U$ fuel (fuel pin 2) and include mixed minor actinide compositions. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using Serpent Code1.1.19 to compare with CRAM (Chebyshev Rational Approximation Method) and TTA (Transmutation Trajectory Analysis) method in the burnup calculation mode. The total heating power generated in the system was assumed to be 2000 MWth. During the reactor operation period of 600 days, the effective multiplication factor (keff) was between 0.964 and 0.954 and peaking factor is 1.88867.

• Ceramist
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.63-73
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• 1998

현재 원자력발전에 사용되는 핵연료는 산화물 핵연료가 그 주종을 이루고 있다. 특히, 고속증식로용 핵연료로는 최근까지 혼합산화물 핵연료가 개발, 사용되어 왔다. 그러나 이 산화물 핵연료 못지 않게 경제성 및 안전성 관점에서 이를 능가할 수 있는 핵연료 재료로서 탄화물 및 질화물 등의 비산화물 세라믹 핵연료도 그 동안 꾸준히 연구되어 왔으며, 최근 들어서는 새로운 개념의 Pu 혹은 Minor Actinide burning용 핵연료 후보재료로도 각광을 받고 있다. 이들 비산화물 세라믹 핵연료는 산화물 핵연료에 비해 증식능력이 좋아, 특히 8~12년의 증배시간을 갖는 고속증식로 개발의 가능성을 보여준다. 이는 그 특성이 산화물 핵연료의 경우에 비해 더 높은 중금속(Heavy Metal) 밀도와 열전도도를 갖는 장점 때문이며, 이로 인해 높은 선출력(linear power)을 낼 수 있어 소형 노심의 설계가 가능하다. 본 고에서는 고속증식로 뿐만 아니라 다른 형태의 원자로에의 사용에서도 그 응용가치와 개발의 여지가 충분히 있는 비산화물 세라믹 핵연료의 기초특성, 제조기술, 그리고 그 성능에 대하여 비교, 분석함으로써 앞으로의 핵연료 개발연구에 보다 효율적이고 다양한 방향을 제시하고자 하였다.