• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.180-185
• /
• 2003

The reductions in final waste form and material costs, which were induced from an introduction of salt waste regeneration system, have been estimated and compared with those of the present pyrochemical process, which is under development in KAERI. The results calculated on the basis of published data and proper assumption showed that the final waste form of LiCl waste from the Advanced Conditioning Process would be reduced about 3.7 to#ton HM (from 5.4 to 1.7 ton/ton HM). For the case of LiCl-KCl eutectic salt waste from the electro-refining process, the final waste form would be reduced 2.3 ton/ton U. Thus, these estimation suggested that the introduction of salt waste regeneration system was essential to improve the economical efficiency of the pyrochemical process.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.303-309
• /
• 2010

For the pyrochemical process of spent nuclear fuels, recovery of LiCl-KCl eutectic salts is needed to reduce radioactive waste volume and to recycle resource materials. This paper is about recovery of residual LiCl-KCl eutectic salts in radioactive rare earth precipitates (rare earth oxychlorides or oxides) by using a vacuum distillation process. In the vacuum distillation test apparatus, the salts in the rare earth precipitates were vaporized and were separated effectively. The separated salts were deposited in three positions of the vacuum distillation test apparatus or were collected in the filter and it is difficult to recover them. To resolve the problem, a vacuum distillation and condensation system, which is subjected to the force of a temperature gradient at a reduced pressure, was developed. In a preliminary test of the vacuum distillation/condensation recovery system, it was confirmed that it was possible to condense the vaporized salts only in the salt collector and to recover the condensed salts from the salt collector easily.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2004.06a
• /
• pp.338-338
• /
• 2004

건식공정 (pyrochemical process 혹은 pyroprocessing)은장수명핵종의 소멸처리를 위해서는 장수명핵종을 분리한 뒤 연료로 제조하여야 하며, 분리 공정은 습식공정과 건식공정으로 크게 나누어진다. 용융염을 사용하는 습식공정에 비해 2차 방사성폐기물의 발생량이 적고 공정이 간단하고, 핵확산에 대한 저항성이 매우 크다는 장점 때문에 미래의 핵주기 기술로서 주목받고 있다. 소멸처리를 위해서는 사용 후 핵연료 내에 존재하는 장수명 핵종군 원소들을 분리하고 소멸처리용 연료에 적합한 형태의 물리 화학적 형태로 전환시켜야 한다.(중략)

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.329-334
• /
• 2011

Two conceptual flowsheets were developed for recycling used nuclear fuel. One flowsheet was developed for recycling used oxide nuclear fuel from light water reactors while the other was developed for recycling used metal fuel from fast spectrum reactors. Both flowsheets were developed from a set of design principles including efficient actinide recovery, nonproliferation, waste minimization and commercial viability. Process chemistry is discussed for each unit operation in the flowsheet.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.33 no.11
• /
• pp.3871-3874
• /
• 2012

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.335-342
• /
• 2011

As part of the Department of Energy's Fuel Cycle Research and Development Program an electrochemical technology employing molten salts is being developed for recycle of metallic fast reactor fuel and treatment of light water reactor oxide fuel to produce a feed for fast reactors. This technology has been deployed for treatment of used fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) in the Fuel Conditioning Facility, located at the Materials and Fuel Complex of Idaho National Laboratory. This process is based on dry (non-aqueous) technologies that have been developed and demonstrated since the 1960s. These technologies offer potential advantages compared to traditional aqueous separations including: compactness, resistance to radiation effects, criticality control benefits, compatibility with advanced fuel types, and ability to produce low purity products. This paper will summarize the status of electrochemical development and demonstration activities with used nuclear fuel, including preparation of associated high-level waste forms.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.125-131
• /
• 2009

An electrolytic system (zinc anode-gallium cathode) was setup to evaluate the performance of several stirrers prepared for this study, where stirrers have been used to prevent uranium from forming dendrite on the cathode in pyrochemical process. In the case of no-stirring condition, zinc dendrites began to grow on the gallium surface in 1 hour and some dendrite grew out of the cathode crucible around 6 hours. When a rectangular stirrer or a tilt stirrer was rotated, at 40${\sim}$150 rpm, to mix the liquid gallium cathode, dendritic growth of zinc metal was prevented irrespective of revolution speed, but some of the deposits overflowed out of the cathode crucible owing to the large centrifugal forces at 150 rpm. The harrow stirrer did not nearly retard the dendrite growth at 40 rpm, but the dendrite growth was retarded at higher than 100 rpm and the zinc deposits also did not overflow at 150 rpm. Pounder could also prevent the dendrite growth to some extent but it had some difficulties in operation compared with other types of stirrers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2005.06a
• /
• pp.426-427
• /
• 2005

Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process (ACP) is a pyrochemical process in which the spent fuel of PWR is transformed into the uranic metal ingot. Through this process, which has been developed in KAERI since 1998, the radioactivity, the radiotoxicity, the heat and the volume of the PWR spent fuel are reduced by a quarter of the original. To demonstrate a lab-scale process and extract the data for the later pilot-scale process, a demonstration facility of ACP (ACPF) is under construction and the lab-scale demonstration is slated for 2006. To establish the safeguardability of ACPF, a safeguards system including a neutron counter based on non-destructive assay, which is named as ACP Safeguards Neutron Counter (ASNC), the ACP Safeguards Surveillance System (ASSS) which consists of two neutron monitors and five IAEA cameras, and Laser Induced Breakdown System (LIBS) have been developed and are ready to be installed at ACPF. The target materials of ACP to assay with ASNC are categorized into three types among which the first is the uranic metal ingot, the second is the salt waste and the last is $UO_2$ and $U_{3}O_8$ powders, rod cuts and hulls. The Pu content of process nuclear materials can be accounted with ASNC. The ASSS is integrated in the ACP Intelligent Surveillance Software (AISS) in which the IAEA camera images and background signals at the rear doors of ACPF are displayed. The composition of special nuclear materials of ACP can be measured with LIBS which can be a supporting measurement tool for ASNC. The conceptual picture of safeguards system of ACPF is shown in Fig. 1.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2005.11b
• /
• pp.92-106
• /
• 2005

The head-end processes of spent TRISO fuel have been reviewed to understand the current status and the limitations of the reported processes. The main concerns in the TRISO treatment are to effectively breach and separate the carbon and SiC layers composing the TRISO particles. The crush-bum scheme which was considered in the early stages of the development has been replaced by the crush-leach or $CO_2$ burning and the succeeding CO decomposition process because of a sequestration problem of $CO_2$ containing $^{14}C$. However there are still many obstacles to overcome in the reported processes. Hence, innovative thermomechanical and pyrochemical concepts to breach the coating layers of the TRISO particle with a minimized amount of second waste are proposed in this paper and their principles are described in detail.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2005.11b
• /
• pp.280-289
• /
• 2005

A pyrochemical process has been introduced and utilized so that the transmutation of spent PWR fuel in PEACER can produce mainly low and intermediate level waste for near surface disposal. Major radioactive nuclides from PEACER pyroprocessing are composed of TRU and LLFP. In this study, the requirement for the final waste from PEACER is evaluated based on the methodology for establishment of waste acceptance criteria. Also, sensitivity analysis for several input parameters is conducted in order to determine acceptable decontamination factor (DF) and LLFP removal efficiency and to find out input parameter that extremely have an effect on DE As a result of the study, LLFP removal efficiency, especially Sr-90 and Tc-99, is proved to be a major nuclide which contributes to annual dose by human intrusion scenario rather than TRU DF. More than $98.5\%$ of LLFP have to be removed to meet below dose constraint within the DF more than 5.0E+03. Besides, because of the relative short half-life of Sr-90, the increasing of the institutional control period is recommended for most important input parameter to determine DF.