Method of removal of heavy metal from molten salt in IFR fuel pyroprocessing

摘要

An electrochemical method of separating heavy metal values from a radioactive molten salt including Li halide at temperatures of about 500 DEG C. The method comprises positioning a solid Li-Cd alloy anode in the molten salt containing the heavy metal values, positioning a Cd-containing cathode or a solid cathode positioned above a catch crucible in the molten salt to recover the heavy metal values, establishing a voltage drop between the anode and the cathode to deposit material at the cathode to reduce the concentration of heavy metals in the salt, and controlling the deposition rate at the cathode by controlling the current between the anode and cathode.