The Effect of Processing Parameters on the Deposition Behavior of a Spent Fuel Surrogate in the Molten Salt Electrorefining

The electrorefining experiments with an anode composed of U, Y, Gd, Nd and Ce (or U, Gd, Dy and Ce) were carried out in the KC1-LiCl eutectic melt at $500^{\circ}C$, Uranium was the major component in the cathode deposits at the high initial uranium concentration, and the separation factors of the uranium with respect to the rare earths (REs) were calculated according to the applied voltage and the uranium concentration in the molten salt. The current efficiency was inversely in proportion to the applied voltage in the range of 1.0 V to 1, 9 V (vs. STS304L). The dependency of the applied voltage on the current efficiency as well as the deposition rate was discussed in terms of the microstructural feature and crystal structure of the deposit.