• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.295-301
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• 2023

To broaden the utilization of nuclear energy, uranium as a fuel should be mined indispensably. Mining accounts for the largest portion of the cost of producing the uranium assembly. Therefore, this study analyzes the trends of uranium prices, which have a significant impacts on the mining cost. Uranium production contributing to the price fluctuations is explained in five periods from 1945 to the present. Moreover, the series of events affecting uranium prices from the 1970s until the present are verified. Among them, the most recent incidents considered in this study are the following: COVID-19 pandemic, Kazakhstan unrest, and Russia-Ukraine war. European countries have started to reconsider the transition to nuclear power to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas, which has contributed to the surge in uranium prices. Based on the results of this study, various international issues have been closely associated with the nuclear power industry and uranium, affecting the production of uranium and its price.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.979-986
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• 2013

Uranium metal particle dispersion plates have been proposed as targets for Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production to improve the radioisotope production efficiency of conventional low enriched uranium targets. In this study, uranium powder was produced by centrifugal atomization, and miniature target plates containing uranium particles in an aluminum matrix with uranium densities up to 9 $g-U/cm^3$ were fabricated. Additional heat treatment was applied to convert the uranium particles into UAlx compounds by a chemical reaction of the uranium particles and aluminum matrix. Thus, these target plates can be treated with the same alkaline dissolution process that is used for conventional $UAl_x$ dispersion targets, while increasing the uranium density in the target plates.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.241-246
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• 1980

Some components in uranium-bearing formations which consist mainly of black shale, slate. and low grade coal-bearing formation of Ogcheon Belt were processed statistically in order to find out the geochemical correlations with uranium. Geochemical enrichment of uranium, vanadium and molybdenum in low grade coal-bearing formations and surrounding rocks is remarkable in the studied area. Geochemical correlation coefficient of uranium and molybdenum in the rocks displays about 0.6, and that of uranium and fixed carbon about 0.4. Uranium and vanadium in uranium-bearing low grade coals denote very high correlation with fixed carbon, which is considered to be responsible for enrichment of metallic elements, especially molybdenum. Close geochemical correlation of uranium-molybdenum couple in the rocks can be applied as a competent exploration guide to low grade uranium deposits of this area.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.135-138
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• 1985

The radioautographing of U-bearing cloaly slate samples were initiated in order to clarify the uranium distribution patterns in the samples of Ogcheon system. Moreover, x-ray powder diffraction and x-ray single crystal analysis studies were undertaken to identify the uranium mineral which was extracted from U-bearing coaly slate. The handspecimens were collected from the Boseong mine, located in Deokpyeong area, Goesan-gun, Chungcheongbug-do. According to the experimental studies, it has been found the following facts: (1) fixed carbon has close relation with uranium contents, (2) quartz veins developed in U-bearing coaly slate are diveded into two groups based on mode of occurrence, formation stage and uranium distribution pattern; early quartz vein ($QV_1$) with low uranium concentration and late quartz vein ($QV_2$) with high uranium concentration, (3) matrixes around $QV_1$ are displayed homogeneous and high uranium concentration, while matrixes around $QV_2$ are low uranium concentration, (4) uranium mineral is identified as a variety of autunite.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.234-240
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• 1994

Square-wave voltammetric behavior for uranium(VI)-cupferron complex was studied in 0.1 M acetate buffer solution(pH5.0). The optimum condition for square-wave voltammetric analysis of uranium was also investigated. The reduction of uranium(VI)-cupferron complex was found to be irreversible and only uranium(VI)-cupferron complex was adsorbed on the electrode surface during the deposition time. Detection limit of uranium(VI) was 7.9nM(2 ppb) where the deposition time was 30sec at -0.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The amount of uranium(VI)-cupferron complex adsorbed on the electrode surface was ${\Gamma}_{max} = (4.9{\pm}0.3){\times}10^{-10} mol{\cdot}cm^{-2}$.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.133-146
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• 1986

Primary uraninite and secondary uranium minerals such as torbernite, metatorbernite, tyuyamunite, metatyuyamunite, autunite and metaautunite have been identified from various types of uranium ores. Uranium minerals occur as accessory minerals in both the primary and secondary ores. Low·grade uranium ores consist of various kinds of primary and secondary minerals. Major constituent minerals of primary uranium ores are graphite. quartz. Ba-feldspar and sericite/muscovite, and accessories are calcite, chlorite, fluorapatite, barite, diopside, sphene, rutile, biotite, laumontite, heulandite, pyrite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite, and secondary minerals consist of kaolinite, gypsum and goethite. Uraninite grains occur as microscopic very fine-grained anhedral to euhedral disseminated particles in the graphitic matrix, showing well·stratified or zonal distribution of uranium on auto-radiographs of low-grade uranium ores. Some uraninite grains are closely associated with very fine-grained pyrite aggregates, showing an elliptical form parallel to the schistosity. Some uraninite grains include extremely fine-grained pyrite particle. Sphalerite and pyrite are often associated with uraninite in graphite-fluorapatite nodule. The size of uraninite is $2{\mu}m$ to $20{\mu}m$ in diameter. Low-grade uranium ores are classified into 5 types on the basis of geometrical pattern of mineralization. They are massive, banded, nodular, quartz or sulfide veinlet-rich and cavity filling types. Well-developed alternation of uranium-rich and uranium-poor layers, concentric distribution of uranium in graphite-fluorapatite nodule and geopetal fabrics due to the load cast of the nodule suggest that the uranium was originally deposited syngenetically. Uraninite crystals might have been formed from organo-uranium complex during diagenesis and recrystallized by metamorphism. Secondary uranium minerals such as torbernite, tyuyamunite and autunite have been formed by supergene leaching of primary ores and subsequent crystallization in cavities.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.263-270
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• 2012

Two kinds of uranium species, oxidized uranium(VI) and reduced uranium(IV), were prepared to be interacted with goethite and montmorillonite to identify sorption characteristic of uranium species, which are very sensitive to the redox-reaction. The reduced uranium was prepared by diluting a substantial uranium(IV) that was concomitantly produced during a sulfate reduction via a sulfate-reducing bacterium. The sorption amount of uranium(IV) by the minerals was relatively lower than that of uranium(VI) because the aqueous uranium(IV) had fine colloidal forms to cause its weak adsorption onto the mineral surfaces. We found that the uranium(IV) phase has a nano-colloid character by the transmission electron microscope, suggesting that the uranium species possibly migrating with the flow of groundwater in underground environments can be the colloidal uranium(IV) as well as the ionic uranium(VI).

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.12-15
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• 2014

Thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) was used to determine the concentration and isotope ratio of uranium contained in samples of soil and groundwater collected from Korea. Quantification of uranium in ground water samples was performed by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. A series of chemical treatment processes, including chemical separation using extraction chromatography, was applied to the soil samples to extract the uranium. No treatments other than filtration were applied to the groundwater samples. Isotopic analyses by TIMS showed that the isotope ratios of uranium in both the soil and water samples were indistinguishable from those of naturally abundant uranium. The concentration of uranium in the groundwater samples was within the U.S. acceptable standards for drinking water. These results demonstrate the utility of TIMS for monitoring uranium in environmental samples with high analytical reliability.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.744-750
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• 2016

Uranium removal from uranium plant wastewater using zero-valent iron in an ultrasonic field was investigated. Batch experiments designed by the response surface methodology (RSM) were conducted to study the effects of pH, ultrasonic reaction time, and dosage of zero-valent iron on uranium removal efficiency. From the experimental data obtained in this work, it was found that the ultrasonic method employing zero-valent iron powder effectively removes uranium from uranium plant wastewater with a uranium concentration of $2,772.23{\mu}g/L$. The pH ranges widely from 3 to 7 in the ultrasonic field, and the prediction model obtained by the RSM has good agreement with the experimental results.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.1931-1938
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• 2021

Uranium ingot is produced by metallothermic reduction of uranium tetrafluoride using magnesium or calcium as reductant. Presence of oxygen containing compounds viz. uranyl fluoride and uranium oxide in the starting uranium fluoride has a significant effect on the firing time, final temperature of the charge, slag-metal separation and hence the metal recovery. As reported in the literature, the maximum tolerable limit for uranyl fluoride in the UF₄ is 2.5 wt% and limit for uranium oxide content is in the range 2-3 wt%. No theoretical or experimental basis is available till date for these limits. Analyses have been carried out in this study to understand the effect of UO₂F₂ concentration in the starting fluoride on the final temperature of the products and thus the reduction characteristics. UF₄ having uranyl fluoride concentration, less than as well as more than 2.5 wt%, have been investigated. Thermodynamic calculations have been carried out to arrive at a general expression for the final temperature attained by the products during calciothermic reduction of UF₄. Finally, an upper limit for the oxygen containing impurities has been estimated using the CaO-CaF₂ phase diagram.