Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society (전기화학회지)

The Korean Electrochemical Society (한국전기화학회)
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Effect of the Anode-to-Cathode Distance on the Electrochemical Reduction in a LiCl-Li2O Molten Salt

  • Received : 2013.07.17
  • Accepted : 2013.07.30
  • Published : 2013.08.31
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Abstract

Electrochemical reductions of $UO_2$ at various anode-to-cathode distances (1.3, 2.3, 3.2, 3.7 and 5.8 cm) were carried out to investigate the effect of the anode-to-cathode distance on the electrochemical reduction rate. The geometry of the electrolysis cell in this study, apart from the anode-to-cathode distance, was identical for all of the electrolysis runs. Porous $UO_2$ pellets were electrolyzed by controlling a constant cell voltage in molten $Li_2O-LiCl$ at $650^{\circ}C$. A steel basket containing the porous $UO_2$ pellets and a platinum plate were used as the cathode and anode, respectively. The metallic products were characterized by means of a thermogravimetric analyzer, an X-ray diffractometer and a scanning electron microscope. The electrolysis runs conducted during this study revealed that a short anode-to-cathode distance is advantageous to achieve a high current density and accelerate the electrochemical reduction process.

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