• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2005.11b
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• pp.176-181
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• 2005

The electrolytic reduction process and the electrorefining process, which are being developed at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), are to generate molten waste salts such as LiCI salt and LiCI-KCI eutectic salt, respectively. Our goal in waste salt management is to minimize a total waste generation and fabricate a very low­leaching waste form such as a ceramic waste form. Zeolite has been known to one of the most desirable media to immobilize waste salt, which is water soluble and easily radiolyzed. Zeolite can be also used to the removal of fission products from the spent waste salt. Molten LiCI salt is mixed with zeolite A at $650^{\circ}C$ to form a salt-loaded zeolite, and then thermally treated in above $900^{\circ}C$ to become an immobilized product with crystal phase of $Li_{8}Cl_{2}$-Sodalite. In this work, a crystal phase changes of immobilization medium, zeolite, during immobilization of molten LiCI salt using zeolite A is introduced.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.215-219
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• 2003

The technology to fix a molten LiCl waste, which would be generated from the process to convert spent fuel to metal, into zeolite and then make a final waste form is doing developed. The XRD results of salt-loaded zeolites with different mixing ratios showed that all zeolites transformed from zeolite A type into Li-A type, or also Sodalite type as a minor phase for some conditions. The optimum LiCl-to-zeolite ratio to bring a minimum free salt was 1.0 when the molten LiCl waste contained Cs and Sr.

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.426-430
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• 2003

Fissionable uranium will be separated from long-lived nuclear materials in pyroprocess for transmutation. This study was measured decomposition voltage and deposition rate on cathode of uranium in $LiF-BeF_2$ molten salt by electrowinning. The result of experimental is that decomposition voltage of $UF_4$ and $LiF-BeF_2$ molten salt is -1.4 and -1.5 volt at $500^{\circ}C$ Deposition rate of uranium on cathode increases with increase of uranium concentration in molten salt.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.278-284
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• 2004

The processes for the smelting of a metal product and the solidification of a molten salt were developed respectively to treat the products from the electrochemical reduction process. The method for the separation of a metal product in a magnesia container from the residual. salt and consequent smelting of it to a metal ingot by the multi step heating in vacuum was proposed. The new concept using a dual vessel and a salt valve was also suggested for the solidification of a molten salt into a regular size and shape which is suitable for the transport and measurement. The results obtained in the study will be applied to the design of the hot cell demonstration system of the Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process of KAERI.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2017

Densities of molten salt mixtures of eutectic LiCl-KCl with $UCl_3$, $CeCl_3$, or $LaCl_3$ at various concentrations (up to 13 wt%) were measured using a liquid surface displacement probe. Linear relationships between the mixture density and the concentration of the added salt were observed. For $LaCl_3$ and $CeCl_3$, the measured densities were significantly higher than those previously reported from Archimedes' method. In the case of $LiCl-KCl-UCl_3$, the data fit the ideal mixture density model very well. For the other salts, the measured densities exceeded the ideal model prediction by about 2%.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.143-155
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• 2020

A reference electrode is important for controlling electrochemical reactions. Evaluating properties such as the reduction potential of the elements is necessary to optimize the electrochemical processes in pyroprocessing, especially in a multicomponent environment. In molten chloride systems, which are widely used in pyroprocessing, a reference electrode is made by enclosing the silver wire and molten salt solution containing silver chloride into the membranes. However, owing to the high temperature of the molten salt, the choice of the membrane for the reference electrode is limited. In this study, three types of electroceramic, mullite, Pyrex, and quartz, were compared as reference electrode membranes. They are widely used in molten salt electrochemical processes. The potential measurements between the two reference electrode systems showed that the mullite membrane has potential deviations of approximately 50 mV or less at temperatures higher than 650℃, Pyrex at temperatures lower than 500℃, and quartz at temperatures higher than 800℃. Cyclic voltammograms with different membranes showed a significant potential shift when different membranes were utilized. This research demonstrated the uncertainties of potential measurement by a single membrane and the potential shift that occurs because of the use of different membranes.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.209-229
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• 2022

This work provided a review of three techniques-(1) spectrochemical, (2) electrochemical, and (3) spectroelectrochemical-for molten salt medias. A spectroelectrochemical system was designed by utilizing this information. Here, we designed a spectroelectrochemical cell (SEC) and calibrated temperature controllers, and performed initial tests to explore the system's capability limit. There were several issues and a redesign of the cell was accomplished. The modification of the design allowed us to assemble, align the system with the light sources, and successfully transferred the setup inside a controlled environment. A preliminary run was executed to obtain transmission and absorption background of NaCl-CaCl₂ salt at 600℃. It shows that the quartz cuvette has high transmittance effects across all wavelengths and there were lower transmittance effects at the lower wavelength in the molten salt media. Despite a successful initial run, the quartz vessel was mated to the inner cavity of the SEC body. Moreover, there was shearing in the patch cord which resulted in damage to the fiber optic cable, deterioration of the SEC, corrosion in the connection of the cell body, and fiber optic damage. The next generation of the SEC should attach a high temperature fiber optic patch cords without introducing internal mechanical stress to the patch cord body. In addition, MACOR should be used as the cell body materials to prevent corrosion of the surface and avoid the mating issue and a use of an adapter from a manufacturer that combines the free beam to a fiber optic cable should be incorporated in the future design.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.43-63
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• 2022

The aim of this review is to communicate some essential knowledge of the underlying mechanism of the corrosion of structural containment alloys during molten salt reactor operation in the context of prospective online monitoring in future MSR installations. The formation of metal halide species and the progression of their concentration in the molten salt do reflect containment corrosion, tracing the depletion of alloying metals at the alloy salt interface will assure safe conditions during reactor operation. Even though the progress of alloying metal halides concentrations in the molten salt do strongly understate actual corrosion rates, their prospective 1^st order kinetics followed by near-linearly increase is attributed to homogeneous matrix corrosion. The service life of the structural containment alloy is derived from homogeneous matrix corrosion and near-surface void formation but less so from intergranular cracking (IGC) and pitting corrosion. Online monitoring of corrosion species is of particular interest for molten chloride systems since besides the expected formation of chromium chloride species CrCl₂ and CrCl₃, other metal chloride species such as FeCl₂, FeCl₃, MoCl₂, MnCl₂ and NiCl₂ will form, depending on the selected structural alloy. The metal chloride concentrations should follow, after an incubation period of about 10,000 hours, a linear projection with a positive slope and a steady increase of < 1 ppm per day. During the incubation period, metal concentration show 1^st order kinetics and increasing linearly with time^1/2. Ideally, a linear increase reflects homogeneous matrix corrosion, while a sharp increase in the metal chloride concentration could set a warning flag for potential material failure within the projected service life, e.g. as result of intergranular cracking or pitting corrosion. Continuous monitoring of metal chloride concentrations can therefore provide direct information about the mechanism of the ongoing corrosion scenario and offer valuable information for a timely warning of prospective material failure.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.211-217
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• 2004

A Li recovery technology has been developed and related experimental verification efforts were carried out to improve the economical viability and environmental friendliness of the 'Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process' being developed at KAERI. This technology is characterized by the combination of 1) the electrolysis of $Li_2O$ in a molten salt by using a porous non-conducting magnesia container at the cathode, 2) the separation of the Li in the container from the molten salt by elevating the container above the level of a molten salt, 3) the transport of the Li in the container by using a vacuum siphon to a separated reservoir. Li was semi-continuously recovered from a LiCl-$Li_2O$ molten salt with a more than 95% yield by using the developed technology.