Validating modern methods for impurity analysis in fluoride salts

Salt impurities directly affect degradation of structural materials in molten salt environments, so impurity quantification and analysis of salts is important for the deployment of next generation molten salt nuclear reactors. Despite the importance of moisture and other oxygen containing impurities...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of nuclear materials 2021-09, Vol.553 (C), p.152972, Article 152972
Main Authors: Sulejmanovic, Dino, Kurley, J. Matthew, Robb, Kevin, Raiman, Stephen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Environmental degradation
Fluorides
Hydrogen
Impurities
Lithium fluoride
Measurement methods
Molten salt nuclear reactors
Nuclear reactors
Oxygen
Oxygen content
Salts
Transition metals
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Summary:Salt impurities directly affect degradation of structural materials in molten salt environments, so impurity quantification and analysis of salts is important for the deployment of next generation molten salt nuclear reactors. Despite the importance of moisture and other oxygen containing impurities, reliable methods of measuring these impurities are not well qualified or commonly used. Herein, we present two methods for analysis of oxygen content and one method for analysis of hydrogen content in fluoride salts demonstrated on two batches of LiF-NaF-KF (FLiNaK) salt with differing purity levels. The intentional addition of varying amounts of oxygen and hydrogen to the FLiNaK salt as internal standards produced a linear response using a commercial combustion analysis instrument, and measured amounts were consistent with the standards. These results indicate the technique is a valid method for measuring oxygen and hydrogen content in fluoride salts. Corrosion studies of 316H in FLiNaK revealed 5 times more mass loss in the salt containing more impurities including hydrogen and transition metals.
ISSN:0022-3115
1873-4820
DOI:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152972