• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.361-365
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• 2007

The precipitation reaction of some rare earth chlorides ($Ce/Nd/GdCl_3$) in a LiCl-KCl molten salt has been carried out by reaction with oxygen. Identification of rare earth precipitates by reaction with oxygen and effects of oxygen sparging time (max. 420 min) and molten salt temperature ($450{\sim}750^{\circ}C$) on conversion were investigated. In this study, regardless of the oxygen sparging time and the molten salt temperature, oxychlorides (REOCl) for $NdCl_3$ and $GdCl_3$, and an oxide ($REO_2$) for $CeCl_3$ are formed as a precipitate, which are identical with the estimation results of Gibbs free energy of reaction (${\Delta}G_r$). The conversion of rare-earth chlorides into insoluble precipitates was described by using a conversion ratio. The conversion ratio increased exponentially with the oxygen sparging time and finally showed asymptotic value, over 0.999 at $750^{\circ}C$ of the molten salt temperature and over 300 min of sparging time conditions. The conversion ratios were increased with the molten salt temperature. In case of $CeCl_3$, when the sparging time exceed 60 min, the values of the conversion ratio were nearly constant over 0.999 in all experimental temperature conditions.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.85-93
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• 1992

The only hardness of 2nd phase of martensite in dual phase steel which was composed of the martensite and ferrite was changed. Fatigue test was conducted by cantilever type of self-made rotated bending fatigue testing machine. The corrosion fatigue fracture behaviors of dual phase steel were investigated in 3% NaCl solution at $N_f$ = $1.5\times$$10^5$ $N_f$=1.0 $\times$ $10^6$ cycles. The fatigue strength was increased with increasing the hardness of 2nd phase. The size and number of corrsion pits were influenced by the 2nd phase hardness and pits remain constant in size just after they were transited into cracks. The life of crack initiation was effected by stress level. The shape of relation of $\Delta$K and da/dn has smaller scattering in it in 3% NaCl solution than that in air. The higher the 2nd phase hardness is, the higher the corrosion fatigue life becomes. Corrosion fatigue fracture behavior was effected by mechanics in case of $N_f$=1.5$\times$10$^5$$N_f$=1.5$\times$10$^6$ cycles.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.309-313
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• 2018

In this study, we prepared Li-K-Cd alloy, which meets the requirement of eutectic ratio of Li:K, to maintain the operating temperature of the drawdown process at $500^{\circ}C$ and to achieve the reuse of LiCl-KCl molten salt. The prepared Li-K-Cd alloys were added to LiCl-KCl salt bearing U and Nd at $500^{\circ}C$ to investigate the removal of $UCl_3$ in the salt. The reduction of $UCl_3$ in the salt was examined by measuring the OCP value of salt and analyzing the salt composition by ICP-OES. Reduction was also visually confirmed by change of salt color from dark purple to white. The experimental results reveal that the prepared Li-K-Cd alloy has reductive extractability for $UCl_3$ in salt. By improving the preparation method, the Li-K-Cd alloy can be applied to the drawdown process.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.263-269
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• 2015

It is necessary to investigate the electrodeposition behavior of uranium and other elements on the cathode in the electrorefining process to recover the uranium selectively from the reduced metals of the electrolytic reduction process since transuranic elements and rare earth elements is dissolved in the LiCl-KCl eutectic salt. Study on separation factors of U, Ce, Y and Nd based on U and Ce was performed to investigate the deposition behavior of the cathode with respect to the concentration of rare earth elements in LiCl-KCl eutectic salt. After electrorefining with constant current mode by using Ce metal as a sacrifice anode, the contents of U, Ce, Y and Nd in the salt phase and the deposit phase of the cathode were analyzed, and separation factors of the elements were obtained from the analyses. Securing conditions of pure uranium recovery in the elctrorefining process was investigated by considering the separation factors with respect to $UCl_3$ and $CeCl_3/UCl_3$ ratio.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.12-19
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• 2008

Solvent extraction experiments have been performed to separate Gd and Nd from chloride solution with PC88A and saponified PC88A. In the experimental ranges conducted in this study, the extraction percentage of Gd was higher than that of Nd. Use of 40% saponified PC88A increased the distribution coefficients of Gd and Nd. A chemical model was developed to predict the distribution coefficients of the two metals from the initial extraction conditions. The measured distribution coefficients of Gd and Nd with PC88A and saponified PC88A agreed well with those calculated in this study.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.102-106
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• 2015

The performance of Li-B alloy as anode for molten salt electrolysis was firstly investigated. The crystalline phase of the prepared Li-B alloy was identified as $Li_7B_6$. The potential profile of Li-B alloy anode was monitored during the electrodeposition of $Nd^{3+}$ onto an LCC (liquid cadmium cathode) in molten LiCl-KCl salt at $500^{\circ}C$. The potential of Li-B alloy was increased from -2.0 V to -1.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl by increasing the applied current from 10 to $50mA{\cdot}cm^{-2}$. It was found that not only the anodic dissolution of Li to $Li^+$ but also the dissolution of the atomic lithium ($Li^0$) into the LiCl-KCl eutectic salt was observed, following the concomitant reduction of $Nd^{3+}$ by the $Li^0$ in Li-B alloy. It was expected that the direct reduction could be restrained by maintaining the anode potential higher that the deposition potential of neodymium.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.148-158
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• 2019

The corrosion protection of AA2024 PPy coated samples doping with nanosized metal oxides, including $TiO_2$ and $CeO_2$ nanoparticles and $Nd_2O_3$ nanorods, during exposure to the solutions of 0.1 M $H_2SO_4$ and 3.5% NaCl was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and linear polarization resistance (LPR) techniques. The nanorods of $Nd_2O_3$ were synthesized by cathodic pulse electrochemical deposition technique. The barrier properties of the different PPy coatings containing nanosized metal oxides immersed in $H_2SO_4$ solution were ranked as follows: $Nd_2O_3$ > $TiO_2$ > $CeO_2$. Therefore, the $Nd_2O_3$ coating sample provided the highest corrosion protection at any time of immersion up to 72 hours after immersing in $H_2SO_4$ solution. On the other hand, the $CeO_2$ coating sample displayed the best anticorrosive properties among the other coating samples after immersion in NaCl solution up to 28 days. This is due to the inhibition effect of cerium ions on aluminum alloys at near-neutral solutions.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.42-52
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• 1993

The corrosion fatigue fracture behaviour of dual phase steel was investigated in 3% NaCl solution at 302MPa and 137MPa. Fatigue test was conducted by cantilever type of self-made rotary bending fatigue testing machine. The fatigue strength increased with increasing the hardness of 2nd phase. Corrosion pit originated at the boundary of the 2nd phase. The size and number of corrosion pits were influenced by the 2nd phase hardness, and pits remained constant in size just after they were transited into cracks. The life of crack initiation was effected by stress level. The shape of relation of .DELTA. K and da/dN has smaller scattering in it in 3% NaCl solution than that in air. The higher the 2nd phase hardness is, the greater the corrosion fatigue life becomes. Corrosion fatigue fracture behaviour was primarily effected by mechanical factor in case of high stress(302MPa), but by electro-chemical reaction in a lower stress(137MPa). As stress level got lower and hardness of the 2nd phase got higher, the roughness of fracture surface increased.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.1013-1021
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• 2024

A series of experiments were performed to produce a fuel source for a molten salt reactor (MSR) through pyroprocessing technology. A simulated LiCl-KCl-UCl₃-NdCl₃ salt system was prepared, and the U element was fully recovered using a liquid cadmium cathode (LCC) by applying a constant current. As a result, the salt was purified with an UCl₃ concentration lower than 100 ppm. Subsequently, the U/RE ingot was prepared by melting U and RE metals in Y₂O₃ crucible at 1473 K as a surrogate for RE-rich ingot product from pyroprocessing. The produced ingot was sliced and used as a working electrode in LiCl-KCl-LaCl₃ salt. Only RE elements were then anodically dissolved by applying potential at - 1.7 V versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The RE-removed ingot product was used to produce UCl₃ via the reaction with NH4Cl in a sealed reactor.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.29-35
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• 2018

In this study, the electrochemical redox behavior of neodymium in non-aqueous electrolytes was investigated to confirm the possibility of neodymium metallurgy at room temperature. The non-aqueous electrolytes include ionic liquids such as $[C_4mim]PF_6$, $[C_4mim]Cl$, and $[P_{66614}]PF_6$, ethanol which are highly soluble in neodymium salts, and mixed electrolytes based on carbonate with highly electrochemical stability. The electrochemical redox properties of neodymium were better than those of other electrolytes in the case of the mixed electrolyte based on ethylene carbonate (EC)/di-ethylene carbonate (DEC). Ethanol was added to improve the physical properties of the mixed electrolyte. Thorough the analysis about ionic conductivity of EC/DEC ratio, ethanol content and $NdCl_3$ concentration, the best electrolyte composition was 50 vol% content of ethanol and 0.5 M of $NdCl_3$. Using cyclic voltametry and linear sweep voltametry, a current peak estimated at -3.8 V (vs. Pt-QRE) was observed as a limiting current of neodymium reduction. Potentiostatic electrolysis for 18 hours at room temperature at -6 V (vs. Pt-QRE) confirmed that metallic neodymium was electrodeposited.