In this study, molten salt experiments were performed using a multi-purpose molten salt experimental loop to evaluate the corrosion and thermodynamic properties of the molten salt. The multi-purpose molten salt experimental loop is made of 1-inch austenitic 316 stainless steel, and 1/4-inch austenitic 316 stainless steel tubes were welded on the surface of a 1-inch pipe to measure temperatures of molten salt. During the experiment, the molten salt leaked due to corrosion of the welded part of the 1/4-inch tube connected to the 1-inch pipe. Therefore, the cause of corrosion damage of the leaked welded part was analyzed. The effect of NaCl-MgCl2 salt selected as the molten salt on corrosion failure was considered. And based on the operation data of molten salt experiments, the time of occurrence of the issue was estimated. Lastly, the cause of corrosion failure was estimated by comparing and analyzing the pipe shape before and after failure using SEM-EDS.

During electrorefining, fission products, such as Sr and Cs, accumulate in a eutectic LiCl-KCl molten salt and degrade the efficiency of the separation process by generating high heat and decreasing uranium capture. Thus, the removal of the fission products from the molten salt bath is essential for reusing the bath, thereby reducing the additional nuclear waste. While many studies focus on techniques for selective separation of fission products, there are few studies on processing monitoring of those techniques. In-situ monitoring can be used to evaluate separation techniques and determine the integrity of the bath. In this study, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was selected as the monitoring technique to measure concentrations of Sr and Cs in 550°C LiCl-KCl molten salt. A laser spectroscopic setup for analyzing high-temperature molten salts in an inert atmosphere was established by coupling an optical path with a glove box. An air blower was installed between the sample and lenses to avoid liquid splashes on surrounding optical products caused by laser-liquid interaction. Before LIBS measurements, experimental parameters such as laser pulse energy, delay time, and gate width were optimized for each element to get the highest signal-to-noise ratio of characteristic elemental peaks. LIBS spectra were recorded with the optimized conditions from LiCl-KCl samples, including individual elements in a wide concentration range. Then, the limit of detections (LODs) for Sr and Cs were calculated using calibration curves, which have high linearity with low errors. In addition to the univariate analysis, partial least-squares regression (PLSR) was employed on the data plots to obtain calibration models for better quantitative analysis. The developed models show high performances with the regression coefficient R2 close to one and root-mean-square error close to zero. After the individual element analysis, the same process was performed on samples where Sr and Cs were dissolved in molten salt simultaneously. The results also show low-ppm LODs and an excellent fitted regression model. This study illustrates the feasibility of applying LIBS to process monitoring in pyroprocessing to minimize nuclear waste. Furthermore, this high-sensitive spectroscopic system is expected to be used for coolant monitoring in advanced reactors such as molten salt reactors.

A reference electrode is important for controlling electrochemical reactions. Evaluating properties such as the reduction potential of the elements is necessary to optimize the electrochemical processes in pyroprocessing, especially in a multicomponent environment. In molten chloride systems, which are widely used in pyroprocessing, a reference electrode is made by enclosing the silver wire and molten salt solution containing silver chloride into the membranes. However, owing to the high temperature of the molten salt, the choice of the membrane for the reference electrode is limited. In this study, three types of electroceramic, mullite, Pyrex, and quartz, were compared as reference electrode membranes. They are widely used in molten salt electrochemical processes. The potential measurements between the two reference electrode systems showed that the mullite membrane has potential deviations of approximately 50 mV or less at temperatures higher than 650℃, Pyrex at temperatures lower than 500℃, and quartz at temperatures higher than 800℃. Cyclic voltammograms with different membranes showed a significant potential shift when different membranes were utilized. This research demonstrated the uncertainties of potential measurement by a single membrane and the potential shift that occurs because of the use of different membranes.

본 연구에서는 LiCI-KCl/Cd계의 전해제련 공정을 대상으로 악티늄 및 희토류족 원소들의 전해이동을 모텔링하고 해석하였다. 이 공정에서 용융염 전해질과 액체 카드륨 음극간의 확산 경계층 계면에서 확산제한 전기화학반웅 및 물질수지를 고려한 단순화된 통적모댐을 수립하였다 제안된 모델링 접근방법은 옴극에서 일어나는 금속엽의 반쪽 전 지 환원반용에 기초릎 둔 모델이다 이 모탤올 사용하여 정전류 전해공정에서 주어진 인가전류 조건을 만족하는 시간까지의 전해 이 동과 연계된 농도거동， 각 원소의 패러데이 전류 그리고 시간 함수의 전기화학 전위를 예측하는 가놓성을 보여주었다 선택된 5성분 원소(U ， Pu, Am, La, Nd) 계의 결과를 예비 모사하여 전산모댈이 전기화학적 특성을 이해하고 개선된 전해 제련로를 개발하기 위한 정보를 제공할 수 있는가를 평가하였다.