| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Materials and Chemistry for Molten Salt Systems
|
| Presentation Title |
Separation of Fission Product Cesium from an Alkali Fluoride Matrix (CsF-LiF-KF-NaF) via Melt-Crystallization Technique. |
| Author(s) |
Maria Del Rocio Rodriguez Laguna, Kevin R. Tolman, Jacob A. Yingling, Tae-Sic Yoo |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Maria Del Rocio Rodriguez Laguna |
| Abstract Scope |
Molten salt reactors (MSRs) represent an advanced type of nuclear fission reactor where the fuel is dissolved in molten salt. Oak Ridge National Laboratory built the first molten salt reactor in the 1960s and conducted the renowned Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) using a fluoride base salt. Our investigation focuses on recovering Cs+ from a fluoride-salt matrix (LiF-KF-CsF-NaF). Cesium-137, a high-yield fission product with a 30-year half-life, poses significant environmental contamination risks due to its high-water solubility and mobility. The separation of fission products, such as cesium, from the salt can significantly reduce the volume of waste. This study utilizes a thermally controlled solid-liquid separation process (melt-crystallization) to effectively separate CsF from the rest of the matrix. Our study determined that cesium can be concentrated in the liquid phase during melt-crystallization based on results obtained from high-temperature X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermodynamic modeling. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Process Technology, Solidification |