Three kinds of STS304-Zr alloys were fabricated by varying the Zr content, and their microstructure and fracture properties were analyzed. Moreover, we performed heat treatment to improve their properties and studied their microstructure and fracture properties. The microstructure of the STS304-Zr alloys before and after the heat treatment process consisted of α-Fe and intermetallics: Zr(Cr, Ni, Fe)2 and Zr6Fe23. The volume fraction of the intermetallics increased with an increasing Zr content. The 11Zr specimen exhibited the lowest hardness and fine dimples and cleavage facets in a fractured surface. The 15Zr specimen had high hardness and fine cleavage facets. The 19Zr specimen had the highest hardness and large cleavage facets. After the heat treatment process, the intermetallics were spheroidized and their volume fraction increased. In addition, the specimens after the heat treatment process, the Laves phase (Zr(Cr, Ni, Fe) 2) decreased, the Zr6Fe23 phase increased and the Ni concentration in the intermetallics decreased. The hardness of all the specimens after the heat treatment process decreased because of the dislocations and residual stresses in α-Fe, and the fine lamellar shaped eutectic microstructures changed into large α-Fe and spheroidized intermetallics. The cleavage facet size increased because of the decomposition of the fine lamellarshaped eutectic microstructures and the increase in spheroidized intermetallics.

KAERI에서는 파이로프로세싱에서 발생하는 금속폐기물의 부피 및 무게 감량을 위해 고방사성 장반감기 핵종을 포함하는 anode sludge내 NM의 고화매질로써 폐피복관과 첨가금속을 재활용하는 연구를 진행하고 있다. 본 연구에서는 Cr 함량을 조절한 Zr-17Cr-8NM, Zr-22Cr-8NM, Zr-27Cr-8NM 합금을 유도용융을 통해 제조하였고, 전기화학적 부식시험을 실시하여 부 식특성을 평가하였다. 모든 조성에서 기존 연구 중인 Zr계 합금고화체 조성보다 우수한 부식특성을 나타냈다. 또한 Zr-22Cr- 8NM 시편의 부식시험 후 침출용액 조성 분석 결과, 500 mV 전압 조건 이하에서는 NM 침출이 없었고 이를 통해 우수한 화 학적 안정성을 갖는 합금고화체 조성을 확보하였다.