• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.63-70
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• 2023

Ultrasound-assisted dissolution of U₃O₈ powder in carbonate solution was explored to determine if and how ultrasound act during the dissolution. The variation of U₃O₈ solid particles and uranyl complexes under ultrasound treatment and magnetic stirring was observed in carbonate media. The results show that the use of ultrasound can increase the solubility and dissolution rate of U₃O₈ powder than that under magnetic stirring. The crush of U₃O₈ particles and the reduction of the activation energy (Ea, kJ/mol) of U₃O₈ dissolution reaction were observed, which both play an important role in the ultrasonic-assisted dissolution of U₃O₈ in carbonate-peroxide solution. Meanwhile, there is no observation of the ultrasound effect on the distribution of uranyl species and hydrolysis of uranyl complexes during the ultrasound treatment in carbonate-peroxide solution. Although the generation of ·OH radicals under ultrasound (22 ± 2 kHz) was observed, the oxidation of ·OH had little effect on the dissolution of U₃O₈ in the carbonate-peroxide solution system.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권2호
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• pp.419-425
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to improve the concentration of U(VI) in carbonate solution reasonably, which to improve the application potential of the alkaline reprocessing processes. The dissolution behavior of U₃O₈ in carbonate peroxide solutions was investigated under different conditions, including pH, carbonate concentration, and solid-liquid ratio. The results showed that the dissolution rate of U₃O₈ increased with the increase of pH from 8 to 11 in the mixed carbonate solution containing 0.5 mol/L H₂O₂. The role of carbonate ions in the dissolution of U₃O₈ was further elucidated by observing the dissolution of UO₄⋅4H₂O in carbonate solutions. Furthermore, the concentration of U(VI) in 3 mol/L Na₂CO₃ solution was successfully increased to 350 g/L under ultrasonic-assisted conditions at 60 ℃ and a solid-liquid ratio at 1/2 g/mL. Meanwhile, it is suggested that increasing the concentration of carbonate ions can improve the stability of the dissolved solution containing uranyl peroxycarbonate complex.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.193-207
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• 2022

Thermodynamically, TRUO_x, REO_x, and SrO_x can be chlorinated using ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl) as a chlorinating agent, whereas uranium oxides (U₃O₈ and UO₂) remain in the oxide form. In the preliminary experiments of this study, U₃O₈ and CeO₂ are reacted separately with NH₄Cl at 623 K in a sealed reactor. CeO₂ is highly reactive with NH₄Cl and becomes chlorinated into CeCl₃. The chlorination yield ranges from 96% to 100%. By contrast, U₃O₈ remains as UO₂ even after chlorination. We produced U/REO_x- and U/SrO_x-simulated fuels to understand the chlorination characteristics of the oxide compounds. Each simulated fuel is chlorinated with NH₄Cl, and the products are dissolved in LiCl-KCl salt to separate the oxide compounds from the chloride salt. The oxide compounds precipitate at the bottom. The precipitate and salt phases are sampled and analyzed via X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. The analysis results indicate that REO_x and SrO_x can be easily chlorinated from the simulated fuels; however, only a few of U oxide phases is chlorinated, particularly from the U/SrO_x-simulated fuels.

• 지질공학
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• 제32권2호
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• pp.295-310
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• 2022

월악산-속리산 화강암은 SiO₂와 알카리(Na₂O+K₂O) 함량이 높고 CaO와 P₂O₅는 결핍된 원소 특성을 보인다. 또한 화강암의 알루미나 포화지수는 1.3 이상으로 과알루미나질 특성을 보인다. U과 Th의 평균 함량은 각각 8.3과 39.3 ppm으로서 국내 중생대 화강암 중에서 가장 높은 방사성 원소 함량을 보이며, 화강암의 세계 평균보다 약 2배 정도로 높다. 이러한 높은 방사성 원소 함량 특성은 화강암의 고분화 특성과 대륙지각 기원의 암석 성인에 기인한다. U 또는 Th을 함유하는 방사성 광물은 저어콘, 토라이트, 모나자이트, 제노타임, 퍼구소나이트, 우라니나이트 등이다. 화강암의 Th/U 비 평균값이 5.4로서 지각 평균값과 유사하다는 것은 방사성 원소의 화강암 내 분포가 지각 기원 물질의 마그마 작용에 조절되었음을 의미한다. U과 Th에 대한 Zr, Y, HREE 간의 상관관계로 보아, 방사성 원소는 저어콘이나 모나자이트보다는 주로 제노타임에 포함되어 산출되는 것으로 해석된다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권5호
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• pp.1013-1021
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• 2020

A combination of simultaneous thermal analysis, evolved gas analysis and non-ambient XRD techniques was used to characterise and investigate the conversion reactions of ammonium uranates into uranium oxides. Two solid phases of the ternary system NH₃ - UO₃ - H₂O were synthesised under specified conditions. Microspheres prepared by the sol-gel method via internal gelation were identified as 3UO₃·2NH₃·4H₂O, whereas the product of a typical ammonium diuranate precipitation reaction was associated to the composition 3UO₃·NH₃·5H₂O. The thermal decomposition profile of both compounds in air feature distinct reaction steps towards the conversion to U₃O₈, owing to the successive release of water and ammonia molecules. Both compounds are converted into α-U₃O₈ above 550 ℃, but the crystallographic transition occurs differently. In compound 3UO₃·NH₃·5H₂O (ADU) the transformation occurs via the crystalline β-UO₃ phase, whereas in compound 3UO₃·2NH₃·4H₂O (microspheres) an amorphous UO₃ intermediate was observed. The new insights obtained on these uranate systems improve the information base for designing and synthesising minor actinide-containing target materials in future applications.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.117-124
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• 2014

The effect of various process variables on the powder properties of recycled $U_3O_8$ from MnO-$Al_2O_3$ doped large grain $UO_2$ pellets and the effect of those recycled $U_3O_8$ powders on the sintered density and grain size of MnO-$Al_2O_3$ doped large grain $UO_2$ pellets have been investigated. The evolution of morphology, size, and BET surface area of the recycled $U_3O_8$ powders according to the respective variation of the thermo-mechanical treatment variables of oxidation temperature, powder milling, and sequential cyclic heat treatment of oxidation and then reduction was examined. The correlation between the BET surface area of recycled $U_3O_8$ powder and the sintered pellet properties of MnO-$Al_2O_3$ doped pellets showed that the pellet density and grain size of doped pellets were increased and then saturated by increasing the BET surface area of the recycled $U_3O_8$ powder. The density and grain size of the pellets were maximized when the BET surface area of the recycled $U_3O_8$ powder was in the vicinity of $3m^2/g$. Among the process variables applied in this study, the cyclic heat treatment followed by low temperature oxidation was a potential process combination to obtain the sinter-active $U_3O_8$ powder.

• 한국표면공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국표면공학회 2012년도 추계총회 및 학술대회 논문집
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• pp.170-170
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• 2012

• 한국재료학회지
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• 제34권5호
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• pp.242-246
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• 2024

La modified lead zirconate titanate ceramics (Pb_0.92La_0.08)(Zr_0.95Ti_0.05)O₃ = PLZT-8/95/5 were prepared using the conventional solid state reaction method in order to investigate the complex impedance characteristics of the PLZT-8/95/5 ceramic according to temperature. The complex impedance in the PLZT-8/95/5 ceramic was measured over a temperature range of 30~550 ℃ at several frequencies. The complex dielectric constant anomaly of the phase transition was observed near T_U1 = 179 ℃ and T_U2 = 230 ℃. A remarkable diffuse dielectric constant anomalous behaviour of the complex dielectric constant was found between 100 ℃ and 550 ℃. The complex impedance spectra below and above T_U1 and T_U2 were fitted by the superposition of two Cole-Cole types of impedance relaxations. The fast component in the higher frequency region may be due to ion migration in the bulk, and the slow component in the lower frequency region is interpreted to be the formation and migration of ions at the grain boundary or electrode/crystal interfacial polarization.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권8호
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• pp.1756-1763
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• 2020

The paper studies spark plasma sintering (SPS) of industrially used UO₂-based fuel containing integral fuel burnable absorber (IFBA) of neutrons Gd₂O₃. Densification dynamics of pristine UO₂ powder and the one added with 2 and 8 wt% of Gd₂O₃ under ultrasonication in liquid has been studied under SPS conditions at 1050, 1250, and 1450 ℃. Effect of sintering temperature on phase composition as well as on O/U stoichiometry has been investigated for UO₂ SPS ceramics. Sintering of uranium dioxide added with Gd₂O₃ yields solid solution (U,Gd)O₂, which is isostructural to UO₂. SEM with EDX and metallography were implemented to analyze the microstructure of the obtained UO₂ ceramics and composite UO₂-Gd₂O₃ one, particularly, open porosity, defects, and Gd₂O₃ distribution were studied. Microhardness, compressive strength and density were shown to reduce after addition of Gd₂O₃. Obtained results prove the hypothesis on formation of stable pores in the system of UO₂-Gd₂O₃ due to Kirkendall effect that reduces sintering efficiency. The paper expands fundamental knowledge on pros and cons of fuel fabrication with IFBA using SPS technology.

• 대한화학회지
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• 제67권2호
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• pp.81-88
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• 2023

HubWA 단백질을 모델로 삼아 소수성 아미노산이 folding 반응에 끼치는 영향을 탐색하기 위하여 HubWA에 있는 I와 L을 V로 치환한 변이 단백질의 folding kinetics를 측정하였다. 변이 단백질의 folding kinetics는 HubWA 단백질과 마찬가지로 three-state on-pathway mechanism(U ⇌ I ⇌ N, U는 unfolded 상태, I는 중간단계, N은 native 상태를 의미한다)을 따르는 것으로 나타났다. Folding kinetics 분석을 통하여 three-state 반응의 elementary 반응과 전체 반응의 자유에너지인 ΔG^o_UI, ΔG^o_IN, ΔG^o_UN을 얻었고, 변이 단백질의 자유에너지와 HubWA 단백질의 자유에너지의 차(ΔΔG^o_UI = ΔG^o_UI(변이 단백질) - ΔG^o_UI(HubWA), ΔΔG^o_UN = ΔG^o_UN(변이 단백질) - ΔG^o_UN(HubWA))의 비인 ΔΔG^o_UI/ΔΔG^o_UN를 통하여 중간단계가 전체 folding 반응에 끼치는 영향을 각 소수성 잔기 별로 알아볼 수 있었다. HubWA의 입체구조에서 α-helix와 β-sheet가 상호작용하는 소수성 코어에 위치하는 아미노산인 I3, I13, L15, I30, L43, I61, L67을 V로 치환한 변이 단백질의 ΔΔG^o_UI/ΔΔG^o_UN 값이 ~0.5로 나타난 점은 이들 아미노산이 중간단계에서 native 상태보다는 느슨하지만 비교적 견고한 구조를 이루는 것으로 해석되었다. HubWA 입체구조에서 α-helix의 아미노말단에 위치하는 I23, 특정 이차구조가 없는 부위에 위치하는 I36, β-strand 5의 카복실말단에 위치하는 L69를 V로 치환한 변이 단백질의 ΔΔG^o_UI/ΔΔG^o_UN 값이 0.4 이하로 나타난 것은 이들 아미노산 잔기가 중간단계에서는 비교적 느슨한 구조를 이루다 중간단계에서 native 단계로 진행하는 folding 과정의 후반부에 HubWA의 입체구조에 견고하게 편입되는 것으로 해석되었다. HubWA의 입체구조에서 두 번째 β-strand의 카복실말단에 위치한 V17, 짧은 네 번째 β-strand의 카복실말단에 위치한 L50, 짧은 3₁₀-helix의 아미노말단에 위치한 L56이 중간단계에서 서로 상호작용을 하는 점은 이들 아미노산을 V로 치환한 변이 단백질의 ΔΔG^o_UI/ΔΔG^o_UN값이 0.8 이상으로 나타난 점을 통하여 알 수 있었다. L50과 L56은 짧은 β-strand와 3₁₀-helix를 제외하고 특별한 이차구조가 존재하지 않는 부위(46번째 아미노산 잔기부터 62번째 아미노산 잔기 까지)에 위치하는데, 이들 아미노산이 V17과 더불어 folding 반응의 초기에 견고하게 상호작용을 하는 것은 HubWA단백질이 folding 과정의 초기에 응집체를 형성하는 것을 막아주는 역할을하는 것으로 생각되었다.