Modeling of anodic dissolution of U-Pu-Zr ternary alloy in the molten LiCl-KCl electrolyte

The metallic fuel anode in the molten salt electrorefining step for the pyrometallurgical reprocessing was modeled based on the findings from the anodic dissolution tests using a U-Pu-Zr ternary alloy. This anode model simulates selective dissolution of uranium and plutonium at lower anode potential, growth of a diffusion controlling layer consisting of a mixture of the molten salt electrolyte and the remaining zirconium metal, and simultaneous dissolution of all the constituents at higher anode potential. The calculation with this model reproduced well the actual anodic behavior of the U-Pu-Zr ternary alloy such as two-step rapid rise in the anode potential.