Electrochemical and spectroscopic analysis of thermochemical conversion of UO2 to UCl3 using AlCl3 and Al in LiCl–KCl eutectic. (November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Samanta, Nibedita; Kumar, Satendra; Maji, S.; Chandra, Manish; Venkatesh, P.; Jain, Ashish
• Is Part Of: Progress in nuclear energy. Volume 153(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-11
• Subjects: Chlorination -- UO2 -- AlCl3 -- LiCl–KCl -- Voltammetry -- UV–Vis spectroscopy; Nuclear energy -- Periodicals; Nuclear engineering -- Periodicals; 333.7924
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pnucene.2022.104429
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0149-1970

Abstract

Abstract: Thermochemical conversion of UO2 to UCl3 using AlCl3 and Al metal in LiCl–KCl melt at 773 K is reported here. The reaction product was assessed qualitatively by UV–Vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). The extent of conversion efficiency was quantified through UV–Vis spectroscopy by measuring the absorbance of U(VI) at 420 nm after dissolving the reaction product in 1 M HNO3 + 1 M H3 PO4 medium. The conversion process was optimized by varying concentrations of AlCl3 (stoichiometric × 1 to 4) and the duration of reactions (45 min–5 h). About 93% conversion of UO2 was achieved by doubling the stoichiometric requirement of AlCl3 in 50 g of LiCl–KCl salt in 2.5 h. Highlights: The conversion of UO2 to UCl3 is achieved using AlCl3 and Al metal in LiCl–KCl. Cyclic and square wave voltammetry ascertain the conversion through redox peaks. UV–Vis spectrophotometry is used to quantify the conversion of UO2 to UCl3. More than 92% conversion is achieved at optimized experimental conditions.