• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 2013

Electrowinning process in pyroprocessing recovers U (uranium) and TRU (Trans Uranium) elements simultaneously from spent fuels using a liquid cadmium cathode (LCC). When the solubility limit of U deposits over 2.35wt% in Cd, U dendrites were formed on the LCC surface during the electrodeposition at $500^{\circ}C$. Due to the high surface area of dendritic U, the deposits were not submerged into the liquid cadmium pool but grow out of the LCC crucible. Since the U dendrites act as a solid cathode, it prevents the co-deposition of U and TRUs. In this study, the electrodeposition of U onto a LCC was carried out at 440 and $500^{\circ}C$ to compare the morphology and component of U deposits. The U deposits at $440^{\circ}C$ have a specific shape and were stacked regularly at the center of the LCC pool, while the U dendrites (i.e., ${\alpha}$-phase) at $500^{\circ}C$ were grow out of the LCC crucible. Through the microscopic observation and XRD analysis, the electrodeposits at $440^{\circ}C$, which have a round shape, were identified as an intermetallic compound such as $UCd_{11}$. It can be concluded that the LCC electrowinning operation at $440^{\circ}C$ achieves the co-recovery of U and TRU without the formation of U dendrites.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.175-186
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• 2023

The buffer materials in disposal hole are exposed to the decay heat from spent nuclear fuels and groundwater inflow through adjacent rockmass. Since understanding of thermal-hydro-mechanical-chemical (T-H-M-C) interaction in buffer material is crucial for predicting their long-term performance and safety of disposal repository, it is necessary to investigate the heating-hydration characteristics and consequent T-H-M-C behavior of the buffer materials under disposal conditions considering geochemical factors. In response, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute developed a laboratory-scale 'Lab.THMC' experiment system, which characterizes the T-H-M behavior of buffer materials under different geochemical conditions by analyzing heating-hydration process and stress changes. This technical report introduces the detail design of the Lab.THMC system, summarizes preliminary experimental results, and outlines future research plans.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.77-84
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• 2005

A voloxidizer for a hot cell demonstration, that handles spent fuels of a high radiation level in a limited space should be small and spent fuel powders should not be dispersed out of the equipment involved. In this study a density rate equation as well as the Stokes'equation has been proposed in order to obtain the theoretical terminal velocity of powders. The terminal velocity of U$_{3}$O$_{8}$ has been predicted by using the terminal velocity of SiO$_{2}$, and then determination has been the optimum air flow rate which is able to prevent powders from scattering. An equation which has shown a relationship between theoretical terminal velocities of U$_{3}$O$_{8}$ and SiO$_{2}$ has been derived with the help of the Stokes'equation, and then an experimental verification made for the theoretical Stokes' equation of SiO$_{2}$ by means of an experimental device made of acryl. The theoretical terminal velocity based on the proposed density rate equation has been verified by detecting U$_{3}$O$_{8}$ powders in a filter installed in the mock-up voloxidizer. As the results, the optimum air flow rates seem to be 20 LPM by the Stokes'equation while they are 14.5 L/min by the density rate equation. At the experiments with the mock-up voloxidizer, a trace amount of U$_{3}$O$_{8}$ seems to be detectable at the air flow rate of 14.5 L/min by the density rate equation, but U$_{3}$O$_{8}$ powders of 7$\mu$m diameter seem detectable at the air flow rate of 20 L/min by the Stokes'equation. It is revealed that 14.5 L/min is the optimum air flowe rate which is capable of preventing U$_{3}$O$_{8}$ powders from scattering in the UO$_{2}$ voloxidizer and the proposed density rate equation is proper to calculate the terminal velocity of U$_{3}$O$_{8}$ powders.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2010

The LCC (Liquid Cadmium Cathode) structure to be developed for inhibiting the formation and growth of the uranium dendrite has been known as a key part in the electrowinning process for the simultaneous recovering of uranium and TRU (TRans Uranium) elements from spent fuels. A zinc-gallium (Zn-Ga) experimental system which is able to be functional in aqueous condition and normal temperature has been set up to observe the formation and growth phenomena of the metal dendrites on liquid cathode. The growth of the zinc dendrites on the gallium cathode and the performance of the existing stirrer type and pounder type cathode structure were observed. Although the mechanical strength of the dendrites appeared to be weak in the electrolyte and easily crashed by the various cathode structures, it was difficult to effectively submerge the dendrite into the bottom of the liquid cathode. Based on the results of the aqueous phase experiments, a lab-scale electrowinning experimental apparatus which are applicable to the development of LCC srtucture for the electrowinning process was established and the performance tests of the different types of LCC structure were conducted to prohibit the uranium dendrite growth on LCC surface. The experimental results of the stirrer type LCC structures have shown that they could not effectively remove the uranium dendrites growing at the inner side of the LCC crucible and the performances of the paddle and harrow type LCC structure were similar. Therefore a mesh type LCC structure was developed to push down the uranium dendrites to the bottom of the LCC crucible growing on the LCC surface and at the inner side of the crucible. From the experimental results for the performance test of the mesh type LCC structure, the uranium was recovered over 5 wt% in cadmium without the growth of uranium dendrites. After completion of the experiments, solid precipitates of the bottom of the LCC crucible were identified as an intermetallic compound (UCd11) by the chemical analysis.