Investigation of a LiCl-KCl-UCl3 system using a combination of X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analyses

Electrorefining is one of the main steps in pyroreprocessing where spent nuclear fuels are recycled. Electrorefining is conducted in a molten salt of a LiCl-KCl eutectic (59:41 mol%) containing actinide chlorides (AnCl(3)) at 773 K. In order to operate and maintain the electrorefiner, it is necessary to accumulate fundamental data on the LiCl-KCl-AnCl(3) salt, such as its melting point. In this study, based on X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analyses, partial phase diagrams of (LiCl-KCl)eut.-UCl3 pseudo-binary and LiCl-KCl-UCl3 systems, in which the UCl3 concentration was up to 20 mol%, were developed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.