Application of a chronoamperometric measurement to the on-line monitoring of a lithium metal reduction for uranium oxide

Both a potentiometric and a chronoamperometric electrochemical technique have been applied in an attempt to develop an efficient method for an on-line monitoring of a lithium metal reduction process of uranium oxides at a high-temperature in a molten salt medium. As a result of this study, it was concluded that the chronoamperometric method provided a simple and effective way for a direct on-line monitoring measurement of a lithium metal reduction process of uranium oxides at 650 °C by the measuring electrical currents dependency on a variation of the reduction time for the reaction. A potentiometric method, by adopting a homemade oxide ion selective electrode made of ZrO2 stabilized by a Y2O3 doping, however, was found to be inappropriate for an on-line monitoring of the reduction reaction of uranium oxide in the presence of lithium metal due to an abnormal behavior of the adopted electrodes. The observed experimental results were discussed in detail by comparing them with previously published experimental data.