Abstract

Thermodynamics of separation of praseodymium and neodymium employing liquid low-melting metals and alloys is considered. Pr/Nd separation factors on liquid Ga, In, Bi, and Ga-In eutectic were calculated from the thermodynamic data. The obtained results are compared with the literature data on experimentally determined separation factors on “traditional” liquid metals: Bi, Zn, and Cd. It is shown that one-stage selective extraction of praseodymium or neodymium from the mixture using any of the mentioned metals is not possible. In the separation process of lanthanides from minor actinides using a chloride molten salt–liquid metal system, cerium group lanthanide fission products will be accumulated in the salt phase.

References

1.
Yatsenko
,
S. P.
, and
Hayak
,
V. G.
,
1997
,
Composite Solders Based on Low Melting Alloys
,
Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences
,
Yekaterinburg, Russia
, ISBN: 5-7691-0613-1.
2.
Kinoshita
,
K.
,
Koyama
,
T.
,
Inoue
,
T.
,
Ougier
,
M.
, and
Glatz
,
J.-P.
,
2005
, “
Separation of Actinides From Rare Earth Elements by Means of Molten Salt Electrorefining With Anodic Dissolution of U–Pu–Zr Alloy Fuel
,”
J. Phys. Chem. Solids
,
66
(
2–4
), pp. 
619
624
.10.1016/j.jpcs.2004.06.069
3.
Zemlyanuchin
,
V. I.
,
Ylenko
,
E. Y.
, and
Kondratyev
,
A. N.
,
1989
,
Radiochemical Recycling of Power Plants’ Spent Nuclear Fuel
,
Energoatomizdat
,
Moscow, USSR
, ISBN: 5-283-02981-6.
4.
Bard
,
A. J.
, and
Faulkner
,
L. R.
,
2001
,
Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications
,
John Wiley & Sons
,
New York
, ISBN: 0-471-04372-9.
5.
Melchakov
,
S. Yu.
,
Ivanov
,
V. A.
,
Yamshchikov
,
L. F.
,
Volkovich
,
V. A.
,
Osipenko
,
A. G.
, and
Kormilitsyn
,
M. V.
,
2013
, “
Thermodynamics of Reaction of Praseodymium With Gallium–Indium Eutectic Alloy
,”
J. Nucl. Mater.
,
437
(
1–3
), pp. 
66
69
.10.1016/j.jnucmat.2013.02.001
6.
Lebedev
,
V. A.
,
1993
,
Selectivity of Liquid Metal Electrodes in Molten Halides
,
Metallurgiya
,
Chelyabinsk, Russia
, pp. 
173
208
, ISBN: 5-229-00962-4.
7.
Bayanov
,
A. P.
,
Gurskaya
,
S. F.
, and
Serebrennikov
,
V. V.
,
1965
, “About the Behavior of Some Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium in Liquid Cathodes Under Electrolysis,”
Protective Metal and Oxide Coatings, Metal Corrosion and Electrochemistry Investigations
, Abstract Book,
Nauka
,
Moscow, Leningrad
, pp. 
231
235
.
8.
Ackerman
,
J. P.
, and
Settle
,
J. L.
,
1991
, “
Partition of Lanthanum and Neodymium Metals and Chloride Salts Between Molten Cadmium and Molten LiCl-KCl Eutectic
,”
J. Alloys Comp.
,
177
(
5
), pp. 
129
141
.10.1016/0925-8388(91)90063-2
9.
Moriyama
,
H.
,
Seshimo
,
T.
,
Moritani
,
K.
,
Ito
,
Y.
, and
Mitsugashira
,
T.
,
1994
, “
Reductive Extraction Behaviour of Actinide and Lanthanide Elements in Molten Salt and Liquid Metal Binary Phase Systems
,”
J. Alloys Comp.
,
213–214
, pp. 
354
359
, SSDI: 0925-8388(94)04099-P.10.1016/0925-8388(94)90930-X
10.
Toda
,
T.
,
Maruyama
,
T.
,
Moritani
,
K.
,
Moriyama
,
H.
, and
Hayashi
,
H.
,
2009
, “
Separation Factor of Americium Grom Cerium in Molten Chloride–Liquid Gallium Reductive Extraction System
,”
Electrochemistry
,
77
(
8
), pp. 
649
651
.10.5796/electrochemistry.77.649
11.
Lambertin
,
D.
,
Ched’homme
,
S.
,
Bourges
,
G.
,
Sanchez
,
S.
, and
Picard
,
G. S.
,
2005
, “
Activity Coefficients of Plutonium and Cerium in Liquid Gallium at 1073 K: Application to a Molten Salt/Solvent Metal Separation Concept
,”
J. Nucl. Mater.
,
341
(
2–3
), pp. 
131
140
.10.1016/j.jnucmat.2005.01.009
12.
Kinoshita
,
K.
,
Inoue
,
T.
,
Fusselman
,
S. P.
,
Grimmet
,
D. L.
,
Roy
,
J. J.
,
Gay
,
R. L.
,
Krueger
,
C. L.
,
Nabelek
,
C. R.
, and
Storvick
,
T. S.
,
1999
, “
Separation of Uranium and Transuranic Elements From Rare Earth Elements by Means of Multistage Extraction in LiCl-KCl/Bi System
,”
J. Nucl. Sci. Tech.
,
36
(
2
), pp. 
189
197
.10.1080/18811248.1999.9726197
13.
Moriyama
,
H.
,
Yamana
,
H.
,
Nishikawa
,
S.
,
Miyashita
,
Y.
,
Moritani
,
K.
, and
Mitsugashira
,
T.
,
1997
, “
Equilibrium Distributions of Actinides and Lanthanides in Molten Chloride Salt and Liquid Zinc Binary Phase System
,”
J. Nucl. Mater.
,
247
(
1–3
), pp. 
197
202
.10.1016/S0022-3115(98)00097-X
14.
Smolenski
,
V.
,
Novoselova
,
A.
,
Osipenko
,
A.
,
Kormilitsyn
,
M.
, and
Lukyanova
,
Ya.
,
2014
, “
Thermodynamics of Separation of Uranium From Neodymium Between the Gallium-Indium Liquid Alloy and the LiCl-KCl Molten Salt Phases
,”
Electrochimica Acta
,
133
, pp. 
354
358
.10.1016/j.electacta.2014.04.042
15.
Roy
,
J. J.
,
Grantham
,
L. F.
,
McCoy
,
L. R.
,
Krueger
,
C. L.
,
Storvick
,
T. S.
,
Inoue
,
T.
,
Miyashiro
,
H.
, and
Takahashi
,
N.
,
1991
, “
Standard Potentials of Lanthanide and Actinide Trichlorides in Molten Eutectic LiCl–KCl Electrolyte
,”
Molten Salt Chem. Technol.: Mater. Sci. Forum (Trans. Tech. Publications: Switzerland/Germany/UK/USA)
,
73–75
, pp. 
547
554
.10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.73-75.547
16.
Vnuchkova
,
L. A.
,
Bayanov
,
A. P.
,
Degtyar
,
V. A.
, and
Serebrennikov
,
V. V.
,
1972
, “
Interaction of Metal Praseodymium With its Trichloride in Molten Equimolar Mixture of Lithium and Potassium Chlorides
,”
Izv. Vuzov. Tsvet. Metallurgy
, (
3
), pp. 
115
119
.
17.
Castrillejo
,
Y.
,
Bermejo
,
M. R.
,
Barrado
,
E.
,
Martínez
,
A. M.
, and
Díaz Arocas
,
P.
,
2003
, “
Solubilization of Rare Earth Oxides in the Eutectic LiCl-KCl Mixture at 450°C and in the Equimolar CaCl2-NaCl Melt at 550°C
,”
J. Electroanal. Chem.
,
545
, pp. 
141
157
.10.1016/S0022-0728(03)00092-5
18.
Picard
,
G. S.
,
Motto
,
Y. E.
, and
Tremillon
,
B. L.
,
1986
, “
Acidic and Redox Properties of Some Lanthanide Ions in Molten LiCl-KCl Eutectic
,”
Molten Salts: Proceedings of the Electrochemical Society
,
The Electrochemical Society Inc.
,
Pennington
,
86-1
, pp. 
189
204
.
19.
Yang
,
L.
, and
Hudson
,
R. G.
,
1959
, “
Equilibrium Electrode Potentials of Some Metal-chlorine Galvanic Cells and Activities of Some Metal Chlorides in LiCl-KCl Eutectic Melt
,”
Trans. Metal. Soc. AIME
,
215
, pp. 
589
601
.
20.
Bayanov
,
A. P.
,
Vnuchkova
,
L. A.
, and
Serebrennikov
,
V. V.
,
1972
, “
State of NdCl3 in Equilibrium With Nd Metal in Equimolar Mixture of Potassium and Lithium Chlorides
,”
Izv. Vuzov. Tsvet. Metallurgiya
, (
4
), pp. 
77
80
.
21.
Kober
,
V. I.
,
Nichkov
,
I. F.
,
Raspopin
,
S. P.
, and
Kuzminikh
,
V. M.
,
1979
, “
Thermodynamic Properties of Low Melting Metals Saturated by Praseodymium
,”
Proceedingsof the IV Soviet Conferenceon Thermodynamics Metal Systems
, L. F. Kozin, ed.,
Nauka
,
Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan
, Vol. 
2
, pp. 
67
71
.
22.
Vnuchkova
,
L. A.
,
Bayanov
,
A. P.
, and
Serebrennikov
,
V. V.
,
1972
, “
Thermodynamics of Praseodymium-Gallium Alloys
,”
Zh. Fiz. Khim.
,
46
(
4
), pp. 
1051
1052
.
23.
Yatsenko
,
S. P.
,
1974
,
Gallium Interaction With Metals
,
Nauka
,
Moscow
.
24.
Schweitzer
,
D. G.
, and
Weeks
,
J. R.
,
1961
, “
Liquid-Metal Fuel Constitution: III. Liquid Curves of the Bismuth Fission-Product System
,”
Trans. ASM
,
54
(
2
), pp. 
185
200
.
25.
Lebedev
,
V. A.
,
Kober
,
V. I.
, and
Yamshchikov
,
L. F.
,
1989
,
Thermochemistry of Rare Earth and Actinides Alloys
,
Metallurgiya
,
Chelyabinsk, USSR
, ISBN: 5-229-00066-X.
26.
Degtyar
,
V. A.
,
Bayanov
,
A. P.
,
Vnuchkova
,
L. A.
, and
Serebrennikov
,
V. V.
,
1971
, “
Thermodynamics of Liquid Praseodymium-Indium Alloys
,”
Zh. Fiz. Khim.
,
45
(
7
), pp. 
1816
1817
.
27.
Kober
,
V. I.
,
Nichkov
,
I. F.
,
Raspopin
,
S. P.
, and
Kuzminikh
,
V. M.
,
1979
, “
Thermodynamic Properties of Saturated by Neodymium Alloys Based on Low Melting Metals
,”
Proceedingsof the IV Soviet Conference on Thermodynamics Metal Systems
, L. F. Kozin, ed.,
Nauka
,
Alma-Ata, KSSR
, Vol. 
2
, pp 
72
76
.
28.
Vnuchkova
,
L. A.
,
Bayanov
,
A. P.
, and
Srebrennikov
,
V. V.
,
1972
, “
Thermodynamics of Interaction of Gallium With Neodymium
,”
Zh. Fiz. Khim.
,
46
(
4
), p. 
1052
.
29.
Kober
,
V. I.
,
Dubinin
,
V. A.
,
Nichkov
,
I. F.
, and
Kanevskiy
,
S. R.
,
1986
, “
Thermodynamic Properties of Diluted Neodymium-Bismuths Alloys
,”
Zh. Fiz. Khim.
,
60
(
1
), pp. 
197
199
.
30.
Smith
,
F. J.
,
1972
, “
The Solubility of Thorium and Neodymium in Liquid Lithium-Bismuth Solutions
,”
J. Less-Common Met.
,
27
(
2
), pp. 
195
200
.10.1016/0022-5088(72)90030-6
31.
Degtyar
,
V. A.
,
Bayanov
A. P.
, and
Serebrennikov
V. V.
,
1971
, “
Thermodynamics of Interaction of Neodymium With Indium
,”
Trans. Tomsk Univ.
, (204), pp. 
401
402
.
32.
Dieva
,
E. N.
,
1974
, “
The Solubility of Rare Earth Elements in Liquid Indium
,”
Physicochemical Investigations of Liquid Metals and Alloys
,
Ural Scientific Centre of Academy of Sciences of USSR
,
Sverdlovsk, USSR
, pp. 
98
104
.
You do not currently have access to this content.