Evaluation of alkali bromide salts for potential pyrochemical applications
Paper in proceeding, 2013

Transient techniques were employed to study the electrochemical behavior, reduction mechanism and transport properties of REBr3 (RE - La, Nd and Gd) in pure LiBr, LiBr-KBr (eutectic) and LiBr-KBr-CsBr (eutectic) melts. Gd(III) showed a reversible single step soluble-insoluble exchange phenomenon in LiBr melt at 973K. Although La (III), Nd(III) and Gd(III) ions showed reversible behavior in eutectic LiBr-KBr melts, these ions showed a combination of temperature dependent reversible and pseudo-reversible behavior. While both La(III) and Gd(III) showed one step reduction, the reduction of Nd(III) was observed to be a two step process. La metal could be electrodeposited from the ternary electrolyte at a temperature of 673K. Various electrochemical measurements suggest that both binary and ternary bromide melts can potentially be used to electrodeposit high purity RE metals at comparatively lower operating temperatures.

Author

P.K. Tripathy

Idaho National Laboratory

Toni Karlsson

Chalmers, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Nuclear Chemistry

S.D. Herrmann

Idaho National Laboratory

G.L. Fredrickson

Idaho National Laboratory

T.E. Lister

Idaho National Laboratory

International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference: Nuclear Energy at a Crossroads, GLOBAL 2013; Salt Lake City, UT; United States; 29 September 2013 through 3 October 2013

Vol. 2 867-873

Subject Categories

Energy Engineering

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Created

10/7/2017