Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT) (방사성폐기물학회지)

Korean Radioactive Waste Society (한국방사성폐기물학회)
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Water Sorption/Desorption Characteristics of Eutectic LiCl-KCl Salt-Occluded Zeolites

  • Received : 2022.06.08
  • Accepted : 2022.06.29
  • Published : 2022.09.30
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Abstract

Molten salt consisting primarily of eutectic LiCl-KCl is currently being used in electrorefiners in the Fuel Conditioning Facility at Idaho National Laboratory. Options are currently being evaluated for storing this salt outside of the argon atmosphere hot cell. The hygroscopic nature of eutectic LiCl-KCl makes is susceptible to deliquescence in air followed by extreme corrosion of metallic cannisters. In this study, the effect of occluding the salt into a zeolite on water sorption/desorption was tested. Two zeolites were investigated: Na-Y and zeolite 4A. Na-Y was ineffective at occluding a high percentage of the salt at either 10 or 20wt% loading. Zeolite-4A was effective at occluding the salt with high efficiency at both loading levels. Weight gain in salt occluded zeolite-4A (SOZ) from water sorption at 20% relative humidity and 40℃ was 17wt% for 10% SOZ and 10wt% for 20% SOZ. In both cases, neither deliquescence nor corrosion occurred over a period of 31 days. After hydration, most of the water could be driven off by heating the hydrated salt occluded zeolite to 530℃. However, some HCl forms during dehydration due to salt hydrolysis. Over a wide range of temperatures (320-700℃) and ramp rates (5, 10, and 20℃ min-1), HCl formation was no more than 0.6% of the Cl- in the original salt.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by Idaho National Laboratory under standard subcontract no. 244567 and performed under the auspices of the U.S Department of Energy Fuel Cycle Research and Development Program. Idaho National Laboratory is operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC under contract no. DE-AC07-05ID14517.

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