• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.782-790
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• 1999

The compressibility sinterability sintering behaviour and thermal stability of AlOOH added UO2 pellt and PVA-Al(III) complex added UO2 pellet were investigated respectively. Compared with characteristics of AlOOH added UO2 pellet the green density and the sintered density of PVA-Al(III) complex added UO2 pellet were lowered but the grain size and the pore size of that were more increased in accordance with higher compacting pressure. The AlOOH added UO2 pellet had the grain size of about 14${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ with monomodal pore size distribution while the PVA-Al(III) complex added UO2 pellet had the grain size of about 42 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ with bimodal pore size distribution. The PVA-A(III) complex added UO2 pellet had a similiar open porosity to the AlOOH added UO2 pellet and a lower resintered density change than the AlOOH added UO2 pellet.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.299-308
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• 2003

Fabrication technique of $(Th,U)O_2$ pellets has been investigated. Powder mixtures of $ThO_2\;and\;UO_2$ were milled in two different ways-dry and wet milling. Milled powder was compacted and sintered to $(Th,U)O_2$ pellets. The wet-milled powder leads to a $(Th,U)O_2$ pellet having a high sintered density and uniform distribution of U and Th, compared to the dry-milled powder. The sintered density of a $(Th,U)O_2$ pellet tends to decrease by increasing the content of $ThO_2$. The thermal conductivity of $ThO_2\;and\;(Th,U)O_2$ pellets was measured by the laser flash method. The thermal conductivity of the $ThO_2$ pellet is higher than that of the $UO_2$ pellet, and the thermal conductivities of $(Th,U)O_2$ pellets containing $65wt\%\;and\;35wt\%\;ThO_2$ pellets are lower than that of the $UO_2$ pellet.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.609-616
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• 1992

This study has been investigated on the milling of Aluminium Distearate (ADS) powder and characteristics of the ADS-doped UO2 pellets. As-received ADS powder of the agglomerated particles has not shown any milling effect because of heat generated during planetary milling. But the use of coolant to effectively remove heat generated during milling has been found an effective way in breaking up the agglomerates of ADS powder. The green density of the UO2 pellet decreases with the amount of ADS powder doped. Therefore, in order to get the sintered density of 95% pellet decreases with the amount of ADS powder doped. Therefore, in order to get the sintered density of 95% theoretical density, the 200 ppm ADS-doped UO2 pellet has to be pressed under higher compacting pressure of 3500~4000 kgf/$\textrm{cm}^2$ compared with the ADS-undoped UO2 pellet pressed under around 3000 kgf/$\textrm{cm}^2$. The ADS-dpoed UO2 pellet with even relatively low sintered density of 10.27 g/㎤ exhibits open porosity of 1% while open porosity of the ADS-undoped UO2 pellet is reduced to around 1% only after its sintered density increases to 10.43g/㎤. It is, therefore, concluded that doping of ADS powder significantly contributes to the decrease in open porosity of the UO2 pellet. The dilatometry of the ADS doped UO2 pellet shows the sintering rate curve with the bimodal mode, which could be attributed to a phase reaction between UO2 and ADS. The X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that there occurs not any new phase formed but the shift of the peaks. It would be expected that a phase reaction resulting in solid solution would happen in the temperature range of 130$0^{\circ}C$ to 150$0^{\circ}C$ between UO2 and ADS.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.223-230
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• 2013

When a new nuclear fuel is developed, an irradiation test needs to be carried out in the research reactor to analyze the performance of the new nuclear fuel. In order to check the performance of a nuclear fuel during the irradiation test in the test loop of a research reactor, sensors need to be attached in and out of the fuel rod and connect them with instrumentation cables to the measuring device located outside of the reactor pool. In particular, to check the temporary temperature change at the center of a nuclear fuel during the irradiation test, a thermocouple should be instrumented at the center of the fuel rod. Therefore, a hole needs to be made at the center of fuel pellet to put in the thermocouple. However, because the hardness and the density of a sintered $UO_2$ pellet are very high, it is difficult to make a small fine hole on a sintered $UO_2$ pellet using a simple drilling machine even though we use a diamond drill bit made by electro deposition. In this study, an automated drilling machine using a CVD diamond drill has been developed to make a fine hole in a fuel pellet without changing tools or breakage of workpiece. A sintered alumina ($Al_2O_3$) block which has a higher hardness than a sintered $UO_2$ pellet is used as a test specimen. Then, it is verified that a precise hole can be drilled off without breakage of the drill bit in a short time.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2004

As a basic study of the re-using molten converter slag as an ordinary portland cement by conversion process, molten slag and sintered CaO pellet was reacted each other. The dissolution rate of the sintered CaO pellet into the molten slag was measured and the changes of the reaction layer was also investigated. The converter slag reagent-grade $SiO_2$ added was melted and hold for 30 minutes in MgO crucible between $1350∼1500 ^{\circ}C$. Then sintered CaO pellet heated at the same temperature was dipped into the molten slag and hold for 10∼30 min. After the reaction, the crucible was cooled in air and the specimen was cut off to the horizontal direction of the crucible. The dissolution rate of CaO pellet was measured by the change of the radius of sintered CaO pellet and the interface layer was observed by SEM/EDX and XRD. The dissolution rate of sintered CaO pellet contacted with the slag of basicity 1 was 9.8 $\mu\textrm{m}$/min at $1350^{\circ}C$ and increased to 18.0 $\mu\textrm{m}$/min at $1500^{\circ}C$. The rate was slightly decreased to 7.6 $\mu\textrm{m}$/min at $1350^{\circ}C$ and 15.0 $\mu\textrm{m}$/min at $V^{\circ}C$ in the slag of basicity 2. The dissolution rate of CaO in converter slag was followed to the rule of Arrhenius' temperature dependency, and the apparent activation energy of the dissolution of CaO was 36 kcal/mole. In case of the slag basicity of 1, the thickness of $C_2$S layer was 64-118 $\mu\textrm{m}$ and the thickness of $C_3$S was 28∼90 $\mu\textrm{m}$ for 10∼30 minutes at $1500^{\circ}C$. And the thickness of the $C_3$S layer was 90∼120 $\mu\textrm{m}$ at the same conditions in the slag basicity of 2.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.39 no.11
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• pp.1108-1112
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• 2002

pellets were fabricated as a reactor control material by the powder process. Sinterability of $Dy_2O_3+TiO_2$ mixtures and phases of solid solutions were analyzed by using TMA and XRD, respectively. The thermal conductivity of pellet was determined from the measurement data of the specific heat and the thermal diffusivity of the pellet. The sinterability and the sintered density varied as a function of Dy content in $Dy_xTi_yO_z$. The pellet of $3\;g\;Dy/cm^3\;Dy_xTi_yO_z$ melted in the sintering temperature of $1580{\circ}C$. There were two phases of $Dy_2TiO_5+Dy_2Ti_2O_7$ and a single phase of $Dy_2TiO_5$ for the pellet that has the Dy content of and , respectively. The thermal conductivity of $Dy_xTi_yO_z$ was nearly constant in the temperature range of $25~600{\circ}$. It was 1.69~1.78 W/mK for the pellet sintered in and 1.49~1.55 W/mK for the pellet sintered in $1550{\circ}$.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.14 no.5 s.67
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• pp.13-17
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• 2005

As a basic study for recycling molten converter slag as an ordinary portland cement (OPC) by a conversion process, the reaction mechanism and the rate of the formation of $C_4AF$ which is one of the main components of OPC were investigated. The converter slag whose basicity was controlled by adding reagent grade $SiO_2$ was melted and hold for 30 minutes in MgO crucible at $1300^{\circ}C{\sim}1350^{\circ}C$. Then, the sintered CaO pellet heated at the same temperature was dipped into the molten slag and hold for $10{\sim}30$minutes. After the reaction, the crucible was cooled in air and the specimen was cut off to the horizontal direction of the crucible. The dissolution rate of $C_3A$ pellet was measured by the change of radius of the sintered $C_3A$ pellet, and the formed phase of $C_4AF$ was observed by SEM/EDX. As a result, the dissolution rate of $C_3A$ pellet into molten slag was increased from $0.75{\times}10^{-4}(cm/sec)$ at $1300^{\circ}C$ to $1.67{\times}10^{-4}(cm/sec)$ at $1350^{\circ}C$, and the mixed layer of $C_4AF$ and $C_{12}A_7$ was found between slag and $C_3A$ pellet.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.660-664
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• 2000

Effect of various kinds of additive such as AlOOH, Al(OH)3, Al2Si2O5(OH)4, Nb2O5, TiO2 and MgO on the properties and microstructures of UO2 pellet has been examined. All the tested dopants had played a role to reduce sintered density and open porosity. It was revealed that the addition of TiO2 made pellet more stable thermally. UO2 pellet doped with 0.2wt% TiO2 was swelled rather than densified after annealing for 24 hrs at 1$700^{\circ}C$. It was attributed to large pore with spherical shape. Titinia and silicon coexisted with Al element were more effective to increase grain size than other additives. It could be also revealed that the formation of liquid phase was the main cause of grain growth.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.323-330
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• 2002

Various types of compounds were tested with the aspects of decomposition and formation of residue in a $CO_2$ or 7H$_2$+93$N_2$ atmosphere. The evaporation temperature range of each compound was determined from thermogravimetric curve. Decomposition of dicarbon amide, stearic acid, acrowax and zinc stearate was studied by thermogravimetry in $CO_2$ or in 7H$_2$+93$N_2$ atmosphere. All compounds were decomposed in $CO_2$ atmosphere at lower than 40$0^{\circ}C$, but the residue, ZnO remained for zinc stearate. ZnO did not decompose in $CO_2$ atmosphere up to 130$0^{\circ}C$, but reduced into Zn metal and disappeared in the temperature range of $600^{\circ}C$ to 120$0^{\circ}C$ in 7H$_2$+93$N_2$ atmosphere. The effect of residue, which trapped in closed pores of sintered pellet, on the thermal stability was studied using the resintering test at 1$700^{\circ}C$ in 7H$_2$+93$N_2$ atmosphere. In the case of oxidative sintered pellet with admixing zinc stearate, the cavity formation accompanied with a density drop after resintering is due to the pressure of the Zn gases trapped in the isolated pores.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.433-435
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• 2002

The relation between sintered densities and porosities in UO$_2$ pellets is investigated. The open porosity decreases linearly up to about 95% T.D.,(theoretical density) as the sintered density increases whereas, above 96% T.D., sintered UO$_2$ pellets do not have any open pores. The fraction of open porosity to the total porosity also decreases linearly as the sintered density increases, though the slope is lower than that of open porosity and, above 95% T.D., the fraction decreases rapidly to approach a zero.