Electrolysis of uranium nitride containing fission product elements (Mo, Pd, Nd) in a molten LiCl-KCl eutectic

Sato, Takumi  ; Iwai, Takashi; Arai, Yasuo

The electrolysis of burnup-simulated uranium nitride, UN, containing representative solid fission product elements (Mo, Pd, Nd) was investigated in the molten LiCl-KCl eutectic salt with 0.54 wt% UCl from the view point of application of pyrochemical reprocessing to nitride fuel cycle. It was found from cyclic voltammetry and anodic polarization curve measurement that anodic dissolution of UN began at about -0.75 V vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode in all samples. After the electrolysis at the constant anodic potential of -0.65 -0.60 V vs. Ag/AgCl, most of UN was dissolved into LiCl-KCl as UCl at the anode, and U was recovered in the liquid Cd cathode in all samples. Further, Nd was dissolved into LiCl-KCl as NdCl, while Mo and Pd were not dissolved but remained at the anode.