Calculation of liquidus in eutectic alkali halide mixtures using thermodynamic perturbation theory

Abstract

A statistical-thermodynamic model that makes it possible to describe with good accuracy phase equilibria between melt and crystal in binary alkali halide mixtures with common cations and anions is proposed. This model is based on the thermodynamic perturbation theory, which takes into account the charge-dipole contribution to the interionic interaction of binary molten salts using a multicomponent mixture of charged hard spheres as a reference system. Specific expressions for chemical potentials, taking into account the charge-induced dipole interaction in the molten phase, are presented within the developed approach. Considering binary eutectic mixtures NaF–NaCl, CsF–CsCl, NaF–CsF, and NaCl–CsCl as an example, the liquidus curves obtained in two series of calculations are shown: with the equation of state and without it. The discrepancies between the calculated and experimental data on the position of eutectic equilibrium for most of the considered mixtures do not exceed about 10 percent on the temperature scale and 5 percent on the composition when using only the tabulated values of ionic radii and polarizabilities without any adjustment.