Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Viscosity of Molten Salts Based on the LiF–BeF2 System

  • METALLURGY OF NONFERROUS METALS
  • Published:
Russian Journal of Non-Ferrous Metals Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The temperature dependences of the dynamic viscosity of molten lithium and beryllium fluorides, which are considered as candidate compositions for fuel and coolant of the molten salt reactor (MSR) burner of long-lived actinides from spent nuclear fuel of a VVER 1000/1200 (pressurized water reactor), were obtained by rotational viscometry using an FRS 1600 high-temperature rheometer (Anton Paar, Austria). Molten salt mixtures 0.66LiF–0.34BeF2 and (0.73LiF–0.27BeF2) + UF4 containing 1 and 2 mol % UF4 were studied with regard to the intermediate and fuel circuits of the MSR. The salt mixtures were prepared by direct melting of components and certified using X-ray phase and elemental analyses. The shear rate parameter was selected according to the viscosity curves obtained in the melts at a temperature of 700°C. It was found that the viscosity does not depend on the shear rate in the range of γ = 6–20 s–1. When measuring the temperature dependence of viscosity, the γ value was 11 s–1. The experimentally obtained values of the viscosity of the LiF–BeF2–UF4 melts in the temperature range from liquidus to 800°C are described by the linear equation log η = a + b/t, but their temperature coefficients differ noticeably, which indicates a significant dependence of the viscosity of these melts on composition and temperature. The obtained viscosity values for the 0.66LiF–0.34BeF2 melt agree with the available published data within 7–10% in the temperature range of 650–750°C. With an increase in the LiF content, the viscosity of the melt decreases: it is 20% lower in the 0.73LiF–0.27BeF2 melt at t = 650°C. However, when 2 mol % UF4 is added, the viscosity of the fuel salt 0.73LiF–0.27BeF2 + UF4 increases by 10% at the same temperature.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Here and below, the melt compositions are given in mole fractions.

REFERENCES

  1. Williams, D.F. and Britt, P.F., Molten Salt Chemistry Workshop, Report for the US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy Workshop, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2017.

  2. Ignat’ev, V.V., Feinberg, O.S., Zagnit’ko, A.V., Merzlyakov, A.V., and Surenkov, A.I., Liquid salt reactors: new opportunities, problems and solutions, At. Energ., 2012, vol. 112, no. 3, pp. 135–143.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Fradrickson, G., Cao, G., Gakhar, R., and Yoo, T.-S., Molten Salt Reactor. Salt Processing - Technology Status, no. INL/EXT-18-51033, Idaho National Laboratory, 2018.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. Benes, O. and Konings, R.J.M., Thermodynamic properties, and phase diagrams of fluoride salts for nuclear applications, J. Fluorine Chem., 2009, no. 130, pp. 22–29.

  5. Holcomb, D.E. and Cetiner, S.M., An Overview of Liquid-Fluoride-Salt Heat Transport Systems, Report no. ORNL-TM- 2010/156, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2010.

  6. Williams, D.F. and Clarno, K.T., Evaluation of salt coolants for reactor applications, Nucl. Technol., 2008, vol. 163, no. 3, pp. 330–343.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Williams, D.F., Assessment of Candidate Molten Salt Coolants for the NGNP/NHI Heat-Transfer Loop, no. ORNL/TM- 2006/69, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2006.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  8. Barnes, J., Coutts, R., Horne, T., and Thai, J., Characterization of molten salts for their application to molten salt reactors. PAM review, Energy Sci. Technol., 2019, no. 6. pp. 38–55. https://doi.org/10.5130/pamr.v6i0.1546

  9. Blanke, B.C., Bousguet, E.N., Curtis, M.L., and Murphy, E.L., Density and Viscosity of Fused Mixtures of Lithium, Beryllium, and Uranium Fluorides, AEC Research and Development Report no. MLM-1086, Mound Laboratory, 1956.

  10. Cohen, S.I. and Jones, T.N., Viscosity Measurements on Molten Fluoride Mixtures, AEC Research and Development Report no. ORNL-2278, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1957.

  11. Cantor, S., Cooke, J.W., Dworkin, A.S., Robbins, G.D., Thoma, R.E., and Watson, G.M., Physical Properties of Molten-Salt Reactor Fuel, Coolant, and Flush Salts, Report no. ORNL-TM-2316, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1968.

  12. Cantor, S., Ward, W.T., and Moynihan, C.T., Viscosity and density in molten BeF2–LiF solutions, J. Chem. Phys., 1969, vol. 50, no. 7, pp. 2874–2879.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Janz, G.J., Thermodynamic and transport properties for molten salts: correlation equations for critically evaluated density, surface tension, electrical conductance, and viscosity data, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, 1988, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 1–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Desyatnik, V.N., Nechaev, A.I., and Chervinskii, Y.F., Viscosity of molten mixtures of beryllium fluoride with lithium and sodium fluorides, J. Appl. Chem., 1981, vol. 54, no. 10, pp. 2310–2313.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Merzlyakov, A.V., Ignat’ev, V.V., and Abalin, S.S., Measurement of the kinematic viscosity of molar melt 73LiF–27BeF2 and influence of cerium trifluoride and zirconium tetrafluoride additives on viscosity, At. Energy, 2018, vol. 125, no. 2, pp. 91–94.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Abe, Y., Kosugiyama, O., and Nagashima, A., Viscosity of LiF–BeF2 eutectic mixture (x BeF2 = 0.328) and LiF single salt at elevated temperatures, J. Nucl. Mater., 1981, no. 99, pp. 173–183.

  17. Tasidou, K.A., Magnusson, J., Munro, T., and Assael, M.J., Reference correlations for the viscosity of molten LiF–NaF–KF, LiF–BeF2, and Li2CO3–Na2CO3–K2CO3, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, 2019, vol. 48, no. 4, article no. 043102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Briggs, R.B., Molten-Salt Reactor Program, Semiannual Progress Report no. ORNL-3529, Period Ending July 31, 1963, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1963.

  19. Williams, D.F., Toth, L.M., and Clarno, K.T., Assessment of Candidate Molten Salt Coolants for the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor (AHTR), Report no. ORNL-TM-2006/12, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2006.

  20. Rosenthal, M.W., Briggs, R.B., and Kasten, P.R., Molten-Salt Reactor Program Semiannual Progress Report no. ORNL-4449, Period Ending August 31, 1969, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1970.

  21. Smith, A.L., Capelli, E., Konings, R.J.M., and Gheribic, A.E., A new approach for coupled modelling of the structural and thermo-physical properties of molten salts. Case of a polymeric liquid LiF–BeF2, J. Mol. Liq., 2020, no. 299, pp. 1–24.

  22. Salanne, M., Simon, C., Turq, P., and Madden, P.A., Simulation of the liquid-vapor interface of molten LiBeF3, C. R. Chim., 2007, no. 10, pp. 1131–1136.

  23. MacPherson, H.G., Molten-Salt Reactor Project Quarterly Progress Report no. ORNL- 2684, Period Ending January 31, 1959, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1959.

    Google Scholar 

  24. MacPherson, H.G., Molten-Salt Reactor Project Quarterly Progress Report no. ORNL-2723, Period Ending April 30, 1959, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1959.

  25. Roine, A., HSC Chemistry ® [Software], Pori: Outotec, 2018.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Yaws, C.L., The Yaws Handbook of Vapor Pressure. Antoine Coefficients, Kidlington, Oxford: Gulf Professional Publ., 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Olander, D.R., Fukuda, G.T., and Baes, C.F., Jr., Equilibrium pressures over BeF2/LiF (LiF–BeF2) molten mixtures, Fusion Sci. Technol., 2002, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 141–150.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Cantor, S., Vapor pressures of BeF2 and NiF2, J. Chem. Eng. Data, 1965, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 237–238.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Il'ina, E., Mushnikov, P., Pershina, S., Rudenko, A., Redkin, A., Zaikov, Yu., Kholkina, A., and Voronin, V., Thermal properties of LiF–BeF2 and LiF–BeF2–UF4 systems as applied to molten salt reactor technologies, J. Mol. Liq., 2021, vol. 344, article no. 117731.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Wakeham, W.A., Nagashima, A., and Sengers, J.V., International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Commission on Thermodynamics, Measurement of the Transport Properties of Fluids, Boston: Blackwell Scientific Publ., 1991.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The study was performed under contract no. 24-21-226/17151/501 dated April 14, 2021 (customer: Mining and Chemical Combine, Zheleznogorsk).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of High Temperature Electrochemistry, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 620990, Yekaterinburg, Russia

    O. Yu. Tkacheva, A. V. Rudenko, A. A. Kataev, P. N. Mushnikov, A. S. Kholkina & Yu. P. Zaikov

  2. Ural Federal University, 620002, Yekaterinburg, Russia

    O. Yu. Tkacheva, P. N. Mushnikov, A. S. Kholkina & Yu. P. Zaikov

Authors
  1. O. Yu. Tkacheva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. V. Rudenko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. A. Kataev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. P. N. Mushnikov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. A. S. Kholkina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yu. P. Zaikov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to O. Yu. Tkacheva.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Translated by M. Chubarova

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tkacheva, O.Y., Rudenko, A.V., Kataev, A.A. et al. The Viscosity of Molten Salts Based on the LiF–BeF2 System. Russ. J. Non-ferrous Metals 63, 276–283 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1067821222030117

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1067821222030117

Keywords:

Search

Navigation