[2B09-11] Pyroprocessing

[2B10] Development of interface technology for domestic introduction of metal fuel cycle

(1)Reduction characteristics of metal oxides based on polarization curve measurement in molten salt electroreduction method

*Kaname SAGA¹, Daisuke WATANABE², Hirotaka NAKAHARA² (1. Hitachi, Ltd., 2. HGNE)

Keywords:Molten salt electrolysis, polarization curve, metal conversion, metal fuel

We are developing technology to convert oxide fuel to metal for the domestic introduction of metal fuel fast reactor PRISM. Molten salt electrochemical reduction, which is the conversion technology, obtains metal by electroreduction of oxide fuel. It has been reported that Li₂O, a by-product, is generated during the reduction and changes the electrode potential. Therefore, in this study, the effect of Li₂O concentration on reduction rate and reduction efficiency of oxide fuel is evaluated by experiments. In this report, we obtain the polarization curves of the Li metal electrodeposition reaction and the oxide reduction reaction depending on the Li₂O concentration using simulated oxides and report the results of investigating the electrolytic reduction conditions that suppress the generation of Li₂O.