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Evaluation of 2.25Cr-1Mo alloy for containment of LiCl/KCl eutectic during the pyrometallurgical processing of used nuclear fuel

  • B. R. Westphal
  • , S. X. Li
  • , Guy Fredrickson
  • , D. Vaden
  • , T. A. Johnson
  • , J. C. Wass

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recovery of uranium from the Mk-IV and Mk-V electrorefiner vessels containing a LiCl/KCl eutectic salt has been on-going during the pyrometallurgical processing of used nuclear fuel for 14 and 12 years, respectively. Although austenitic stainless steels are typically utilized for LiCl/KCl salt systems, the presence of cadmium in the Mk-IV electrorefiner dictates an alternate material. A 2.25Cr-1Mo alloy (ASME SA-387) was chosen due to the absence of nickel in the alloy which has a considerable solubility in cadmium. Using the transition metal impurities (iron, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, and manganese) in the electrorefined uranium products, an algorithm was developed to derive values for the contribution of the transition metals from the various input sources. Weight loss and corrosion rate data for the Mk-V electrorefiner vessel were then generated based on the transition metal impurities in the uranium products. To date, the corrosion rate of the 2.25Cr-1Mo alloy in LiCl/KCl eutectic is "outstanding" assuming uniform (i.e. non-localized) conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEPD Congress 2011 - Held During TMS 2011 Annual Meeting and Exhibition
PublisherMinerals, Metals and Materials Society
Pages569-574
Number of pages6
ISBN (Print)9781617827389
DOIs
StatePublished - 2011
EventEPD Congress 2011 - TMS 2011 Annual Meeting and Exhibition - San Diego, CA, United States
Duration: Feb 27 2011 → Mar 3 2011

Publication series

NameTMS Annual Meeting
Volume2

Conference

ConferenceEPD Congress 2011 - TMS 2011 Annual Meeting and Exhibition
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Diego, CA
Period02/27/11 → 03/3/11

Keywords

  • Corrosion
  • Molten salt
  • Pyroprocessing

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