Effect of the Anode-to-Cathode Distance on the Electrochemical Reduction in a LiCl-Li2O Molten Salt

Abstract

Electrochemical reductions of UO2 at various anode-to-cathode distances (1.3, 2.3, 3.2, 3.7 and 5.8 cm) were carried out to investigate the effect of the anode-to-cathode distance on the electrochemical reduction rate. The geometry of the electrolysis cell in this study, apart from the anode-to-cathode distance, was identical for all of the electrolysis runs. Porous UO2 pellets were electrolyzed by controlling a constant cell voltage in molten Li2O-LiCl at 650 o C. A steel basket containing the porous UO2 pellets and a platinum plate were used as the cathode and anode, respectively. The metallic products were characterized by means of a thermogravimetric analyzer, an X-ray diffractometer and a scanning electron microscope. The electrolysis runs conducted dur- ing this study revealed that a short anode-to-cathode distance is advantageous to achieve a high current density and accelerate the electrochemical reduction process.