DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/AEGX-5P85
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0001-8685-6026
Defense Date
2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
First Advisor
Supathorn Phongikaroon
Abstract
The presence of group I/II fission products (Cs-137, Sr-90, and Ba-137) within molten salt nuclear processes degrades operational efficiencies by contributing to increased radiation levels in the case of material handling processes or to loss of criticality in the case of a reactor. While methods such as zone freezing and ion exchange have been proven for the separation of these fission products in LiCl-KCl salts, they require extra equipment and processing steps. Addition of a liquid metal electrode to molten salt media, such as the electrorefiner of a pyroprocessing scheme or the salt cleaning stage of a molten salt fast reactor, offers the possibility to selectively extract group I/II fission products with minimal extra equipment. This work has studied the fundamental electrochemical behaviors of Cs, Sr, Ba, and Ce in LiCl-KCl at a liquid Bi cathode and produced values for their mass transport and kinetics properties. These have allowed for an assessment of a Bi cathode for electrochemical separations in a pyrochemical processing scheme.
Rights
© Michael Woods
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
12-13-2019