Kinetics and Mechanism of Ce Deposition in LiCl–KCl Molten Salt: a Computational and Experimental Study

The present study developed a finite element model to study the electrodeposition process of Ce(III) from LiCl–KCl eutectic molten salt for pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. The input parameters for the model were extracted experimentally through electrochemical testing, including cyclic voltammetry, open circuit potential, linear polarization, etc. Based on the developed model, the electric field, current density, concentration and deposition thickness of Ce on the electrode during electrodeposition process were investigated. This study visualized the electrochemical deposition process of Ce in molten salt, which will not only benefit the optimization of the pyroprocessing system, but also help achieve its application into industry scale.