Reduction process of uranium(IV) and uranium(III) in molten fluorides

Autor: A. Laplace, C. Hamel, Pierre Chamelot, E. Walle, Pierre Taxil, O. Dugne
Rok vydání: 2007
Předmět:
Zdroj: Electrochimica Acta. 52:3995-4003
ISSN: 0013-4686
DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2006.11.018
Popis: This study focused on the electroreduction process of uranium cations in molten fluorides. It involved cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry with and without current reversal, and square wave voltammetry. The results indicate a two-step reduction process for uranium(IV). The first step U(IV)/U(III) exchanging one electron corresponds to a soluble/soluble system and is limited by U(IV) diffusion with D U(IV) = 1.25 ± 0.35 × 10 −5 cm 2 s −1 in LiF–NaF at 720 °C. In order to perform a thorough study of the second step U(III)/U(0) in the reduction process, the melt was chemically reduced in U(III) with U metal as reducing agent. Alternatively to the use of LiF–NaF where U metal is unstable at 720 °C, the chemical reduction of U(IV) in U(III) was performed in a LiF–CaF 2 –UF 4 solution containing U metal at 810 °C. It has been confirmed that the reduction of U(III) proceeds in one step exchanging three electrons and by a diffusion controlled process with D U(III) = 2.2 ± 0.7 × 10 −5 cm 2 s −1 in LiF–CaF 2 at 810 °C.
Databáze: OpenAIRE