• 전기화학회지
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.156-160
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• 2015

파이로프로세싱 전해환원은 사용후핵연료의 재활용을 위해 우라늄산화물을 금속으로 전환하는 공정으로 핵물질을 사용하기 이전에 대체 금속산화물을 이용한 실험을 통해 환원 장치의 성능을 평가하고 개선한다. 본 연구에서는 전해환원 장치 개발을 위한 대체 금속산화물로 타이타늄 산화물(TiO와 $TiO_2$)을 선정하고 $650^{\circ}C$의 $Li_2O$-LiCl 용융염에서의 용해도 및 전해환원 특성을 평가하였다. 1.0 wt.% $Li_2O$-LiCl 용융염에서 TiO와 $TiO_2$의 침지 실험을 통해 두 산화물 모두 염에 일부 용해됨을 확인하였는데, $TiO_2$(2100 ppm)가 TiO(156 ppm)에 비해 더 높은 용해도를 보였다. 1.0 wt.% $Li_2O$-LiCl 용융염에서 TiO와 $TiO_2$의 전해환원을 각각 수행하여 Ti 금속을 성공적으로 제조하였다. 그러나 염 내 용해도가 낮은 TiO는 환원에 사용된 백금 양극 표면에서 Ti이 검출되지 않은 반면 $TiO_2$의 백금 표면에서는 Ti이 검출되었다.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• 제55권3호
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• pp.379-384
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• 2017

LiCl 용융염에서 희토류 산화물의환원율을 높이기 위해 NiO와 혼합하여 전해환원을실시하였다. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) 실험을 통해 LiCl 용융염 내에서 혼합산화물의 전기화학적 환원거동을 조사하였다. 혼합산화물로 제작된 환원전극과 그라파이트 산화전극 사이에 일정한 작동전압을 인가하여 이론전하량 대비 다양한 전하량을 공급한 후 중간생성물의 결정구조를 XRD를 이용하여 분석하였다. NiO 산화물을 첨가함으로써 전기전도성이 좋은 Ni 금속 주위로 희토류 산화물이 환원되어 RE-Ni 합금형태의 금속으로 완전히 전환되었으며, 합금을 형성하는 반응 메커니즘을 제시하였다.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.392-398
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• 2020

Producing solar grade silicon using an inexpensive method is a key factor in lowering silicon solar cell costs; the direct electrochemical reduction of SiO₂ in molten salt is one of the more promising candidates for manufacturing this silicon. In this study, SiO₂ granules were electrochemically reduced in molten CaCl₂ (850℃) using Ag-Si eutectic droplets that catalyze electrochemical reduction and purify the Si product. When Ag is used as the working electrode, the Ag-Si eutectic mixture is formed naturally during SiO₂ reduction. However, since the Ag-Si eutectic droplets are liquid at 850℃, they are easily lost during the reduction process. To minimize the loss of liquid Ag-Si eutectic droplets, a cylindrical graphite container working electrode was introduced and Ag was added separately to the working electrode along with the SiO₂ granules. The graphite container working electrode successfully prevented the loss of the Ag-Si eutectic droplets during reduction. As a result, the Ag-Si eutectic droplets acted as stable catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of SiO₂, thereby producing one-dimensional Si rods through a mechanism similar to that of vapor-liquid-solid growth.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.1-18
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• 2020

Molten salt solutions consisting of eutectic LiCl-KCl and concentrations of samarium chloride (0.5 to 3.0 wt%) at 500℃ were analyzed using both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The CV technique gave the average diffusion coefficient for Sm³⁺ over the concentration range. Equipped with Sm³⁺ diffusion coefficient, the Randles-Sevcik equation predicted Sm³⁺ concentration values that agree with the given experimental values. From CV measurements; the anodic, cathodic, and half-peak potentials were identified and subsequently used as a parameter to acquire EIS spectra. A six-element Voigt model was used to model the EIS data in terms of resistance-time constant pairs. The lowest resistances were observed at the half-peak potential with the associated resistance-time constant pairs characterizing the reversible reaction between Sm³⁺ and Sm²⁺. By extrapolation, the Voigt model estimated the polarization resistance and established a polarization resistance-concentration relationship.

• 전기화학회지
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.138-144
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• 2013

Electrochemical reductions of $UO_2$ at various anode-to-cathode distances (1.3, 2.3, 3.2, 3.7 and 5.8 cm) were carried out to investigate the effect of the anode-to-cathode distance on the electrochemical reduction rate. The geometry of the electrolysis cell in this study, apart from the anode-to-cathode distance, was identical for all of the electrolysis runs. Porous $UO_2$ pellets were electrolyzed by controlling a constant cell voltage in molten $Li_2O-LiCl$ at $650^{\circ}C$. A steel basket containing the porous $UO_2$ pellets and a platinum plate were used as the cathode and anode, respectively. The metallic products were characterized by means of a thermogravimetric analyzer, an X-ray diffractometer and a scanning electron microscope. The electrolysis runs conducted during this study revealed that a short anode-to-cathode distance is advantageous to achieve a high current density and accelerate the electrochemical reduction process.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권5호
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• pp.1534-1539
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• 2021

This study reports on the dissolution behavior of SrO in LiCl at varying SrO concentrations from low concentrations to excess. The amount of SrO dissolved in the molten salt and the species present upon cooling were determined. The thermal behavior of LiCl containing various concentrations of SrO was investigated. The experimental results were compared with results from the simulated results using the HSC Chemistry software package. Although the reaction of SrO with LiCl in the standard state at 650 ℃ has a slightly positive Gibbs free energy, SrO was found to be highly soluble in LiCl. Experimentally determined SrO concentrations were found to be considerably higher than those present in used nuclear fuel (<2 g/kg). As Sr-90 is one of the most important heat-generating nuclides in used nuclear fuel, this finding will be impactful in the development of fast, simple, and proliferation-resistant heat reduction processes for used nuclear fuel without the need for separating nuclear materials. Heat reduction is important as it decreases both the volume necessary for final disposal and the worker handling risk.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• 제13권spc2호
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• pp.308-311
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• 2012

A wide range of possible hazards existing in thermal batteries are mainly caused by thermal runaway, which results in overheating or explosion in extreme case. Battery separators ensure the separation between two electrodes and the retention of ion-conductive electrolytes. Thermal runaways in thermal batteries can be significantly reduced by the adoption of these separators. The high operating temperature and the violent reactivity in thermal batteries, however, have limited the introduction of conventional separators. As a substitute for separators, MgO powders have been mostly used as a binder to hold molten salt electrolyte. During recent decades the fabrication technology of ceramic fiber, which has excellent mechanical strength and chemical stability, has undergone significant improvement. In this study we adopted wet-laid nonwoven paper making method instead of the electrospinning method which is costly and troublesome to produce in volume. Polymeric precursor can readily be coated on the surface of wet-laid ceramic paper, and be formed into ceramic film after heat treatment. The mechanical strength and the thermo-chemical stability as well as the wetting behaviors of ceramic separators with various molten salts were investigated to be applicable to thermal batteries. Due to their excellent chemical, mechanical, and electrical properties, wet-laid nonwoven separators made from ceramic fibers have revealed positive possibility as new separators for thermal batteries which operate at high temperature with no conspicuous sign of a short circuit and corrosion.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제43권6호
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• pp.547-556
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• 2011

Two computational methods for determining equilibrium states for the Mark-IV electrorefiner (ER) have been assessed to improve the current computational electrorefiner model developed at University of Idaho. Both methods were validated against measured data to better understand their effects on the calculation of the equilibrium compositions in the ER. In addition, a sensitivity study was performed on the effect of specific unknown activity coefficients-including sodium in molten cadmium, zirconium in molten cadmium, and sodium chloride in molten LiCl-KCl. Both computational methods produced identical results, which stayed within the 95% confidence interval of the experimental data. Furthermore, sensitivity to unavailable activity coefficients was found to be low (a change in concentration of less than 3 ppm).

• 한국세라믹학회지
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.349-356
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• 1988

The PTCR characteristics of (Ba0.8Pb0.2)TiO3 ceramics prepared by the molten salt sysnthesis (MSS) method have been investigated as a function of the amount of Nb2O5 dopant and KCl flux. When the weight ratio of KCl to raw material is 0.8, the resistivity at room temperature decreases with increasing amount of Nb dopant up to 0.6 atom%. It can be explained by compensation for electrons due to Nb+5 ion and holes due to K+ ion. The resistivity of (Ba0.8Pb0.2)(Ti0.994Nb0.006)O3 ceramics at room temperature decreases with increasing the ratio of KCl to raw material up to 0.6, and then increases. These results can be explained by the effect of K+ ion.

• 한국에너지공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국에너지공학회 2002년도 추계 학술발표회 논문집
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• pp.81-87
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• 2002

원자로계통 전체가 원자로 용기안에 일체형으로 내장되었으며 열ㆍ에너지 수송회로와 물질ㆍ방사선 수송회로가 각각 분리, 혼합된 복합 원자력에너지시스템인 250MW$_{th}$ 실증로급 AMBIDEXTER (Advanced Molten-salt Break-even Inherently-safe Dual-missioning Experimental and TEst Reactor)는 부의 핵연료 반응도로 인한 고유안전성과 핵확산 방지, 폐기물 감축, 핵연료 경제성 및 자원 이용의 효율성을 갖춘 원자로로서 현재 아주대학교에 서 개념 설계중이다.(중략)