Experimental investigation and thermodynamic assessment of the BaCl2–CeCl3 system

Abstract

The thermodynamic and thermo-physical properties of the molten salt system ▪ have been investigated using an experimental and modelling approach. This molten salt system includes a single intermediate compound ▪, whose structure has been investigated using X-ray and neutron diffraction. Furthermore, this system exhibits solubility of ▪ in ▪ at high temperatures up to a concentration of around 25% ▪ at 1060 K. Additionally, our measurements show solubility of ▪ in ▪ up to about 5% ▪ at 973 K. The investigation of these solid solutions has been performed using quenching experiments and subsequent post-characterisation by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Phase diagram equilibria have also been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Using the aforementioned information on phase transitions, intermediate compound formation, and mutual solid solubility, a thermodynamic assessment of the system has been performed using the CALPHAD method. The model for the Gibbs energy of the liquid solution is the quasi-chemical formalism in the quadruplet approximation, while the model for the Gibbs energy of the solid solutions is a two-sublattice polynomial model.