Effect of magnetic field on thorium ions electrochemical behavior in LiCl-KCl-CsCl low-temperature molten salt

Abstract

The development of high efficiency and low-temperature molten salt electrolysis methods can solve the difficulties of poor operation, high equipment requirements, and high cost of high-temperature molten salt electrolysis. In this study, a way to promote efficiency at a relatively low temperature of 563 K in the electrolysis separation of Th⁴⁺ in LiCl-KCl-CsCl molten salt by applying an external magnetic field was reported. The influence of the magnetic field on the electrochemical, kinetic, and thermodynamic properties is explored. The results show that by applying a magnetic field, the ionic current of Th⁴⁺ is subjected to Lorentzian force and thus leads to differences from that without a magnetic field. The Th⁴⁺ exchange current density i₀ increased by 73.9 %, the diffusion coefficient increased by an order of magnitude, and E_a decreased by 23.7 %. At the same time, Th production significantly increased by 16.03 % after the application of a magnetic field under the condition of constant potential electrolysis at −2.5 V. The results of this study provide theoretical support and new insights for spent fuel reprocessing.