Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Transfer characteristics of a lithium chloride-potassium chloride molten salt

  • Mullen, Eve (Department of Engineering Design, National Nuclear Laboratory) ;
  • Harris, Ross (Department of Engineering Design, National Nuclear Laboratory) ;
  • Graham, Dave (Department of Plant and Process Engineering, National Nuclear Laboratory) ;
  • Rhodes, Chris (Department of Plant and Process Engineering, National Nuclear Laboratory) ;
  • Hodgson, Zara (Department of Plant and Process Engineering, National Nuclear Laboratory)
  • Received : 2017.04.05
  • Accepted : 2017.09.08
  • Published : 2017.12.25
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Abstract

Pyroprocessing is an alternative method of reprocessing spent fuel, usually involving the dissolving spent fuel in a molten salt media. The National Nuclear Laboratory designed, built, and commissioned a molten salt dynamics rig to investigate the transfer characteristics of molten lithium chloride-potassium chloride eutectic salt. The efficacy and flow characteristics of a high-temperature centrifugal pump and argon gas lift were obtained for pumping the molten salt at temperatures up to $500^{\circ}C$. The rig design proved suitable on an industrial scale and transfer methods appropriate for use in future molten salt systems. Corrosion within the rig was managed, and melting techniques were optimized to reduce stresses on the rig. The results obtained improve the understanding of molten salt transport dynamics, materials, and engineering design issues and support the industrialization of molten salts pyroprocessing.

Keywords

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  1. Deployment of quasi-digital sensor for high temperature molten salt level measurement in pyroprocessing plants vol.89, pp.4, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5012803
  2. Coordination and Thermophysical Properties of Transition Metal Chlorocomplexes in LiCl-KCl Eutectic vol.125, pp.31, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c03748