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Overview of Zirconium Production and Recycling Technology

지르코늄의 제조(製造)와 재활용기술(再活用技術)

  • Park, Kyoung-Tae (Graduate School of Green Energy Technology, Chungnam national university) ;
  • Kim, Seung-Hyun (Graduate School of Green Energy Technology, Chungnam national university) ;
  • Hong, Soon-Ik (Department of Nano Material Engineering, Chungnam national university) ;
  • Choi, Mi-Sun (Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology) ;
  • Cho, Nam-Chan (KEPCO NF Co., Ltd.) ;
  • Yoo, Hwan-Jun (KEPCO NF Co., Ltd.) ;
  • Lee, Jong-Hyeon (Graduate School of Green Energy Technology, Chungnam national university)
  • 박경태 (충남대학교 녹색에너지기술전문대학원) ;
  • 김승현 (충남대학교 녹색에너지기술전문대학원) ;
  • 홍순익 (충남대학교 나노소재공학과) ;
  • 최미선 (포항산업과학연구원) ;
  • 조남찬 (한전원자력연료) ;
  • 유환준 (한전원자력연료) ;
  • 이종현 (충남대학교 녹색에너지기술전문대학원)
  • Received : 2012.04.30
  • Accepted : 2012.07.11
  • Published : 2012.10.30

Abstract

Zirconium is one of the most important material used as cladding of fuel rods in nuclear reactors because of its high dimensional stability, good corrosion resistance and especially low neutron-absorbing cross section. However, Hf free nuclear grade Zr sponge is commercially produced by only three countries including USA, France and Russia. So, Zr has been thoroughly managed as a national strategic material in Korea. Most of the zirconium is used for Korean nuclear industry as nuclear fuel cladding materials manufactured from Hf free Zr alloy raw material. Also, there are some other applications such as alloying element and detonator. In this review, zirconium production and recycling technologies have been reviewed and current industrial status was also analyzed. And recent achievements in innovative reduction technologies such as electrolytic reduction process and molten oxide electrolysis were also introduced.

Zr은 고온에서의 높은 치수안정성, 내식성은 물론 낮은 중성자 흡수단면적을 지녀 원자력산업용 소재 중 1차 방사능 차폐재인 핵연료 피복관으로 사용되며 현재까지 다른 소재로 대체 불가능하다. 하지만 Hf을 정제한 Zr sponge 제조기술은 미국, 프랑스, 러시아만 가지고 있어 원자력의존도가 높은 한국에서는 국가전략물자로 분류 철저히 관리되고 있다. 국내 유통되는 Zr의 대부분은 원자력산업에 사용되어 지며 유통구조는 정제된 Zr합금을 국외로부터 수입하여 tube로 가공 후 핵연료집합체로 제조되고, 그 외 소량이 합금첨가원소 및 폭약재 등 고부가가치 일반산업에 사용된다. 본 논문에서는 Zr 제조기술에 대한 현재산업현황 및 정련기술을 살펴보고, 최근 연구되고 있는 Electrolytic reduction process와 Molten oxide electrolysis와 같은 신 제련기술에 대한 소개 및 Zr recycling의 전반적인 기술소개도 포함하였다.

Keywords

References

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