LiCl-KCl-UCl3熔盐体系的极化力场发展及应用

Development and Applications of Polarizable Force Fields for LiCl-KCl-UCl3 Molten Salt System

  • 摘要: LiCl-KCl-UCl3熔盐在乏燃料干法后处理的电解精炼过程中具有重要应用,其微观结构与物理化学性质对金属铀的回收效率具有重要影响。由于锕系熔盐的实验研究受限于高温、高腐蚀性及强放射性等因素,基于分子动力学模拟的理论研究已成为研究其微观结构和热物理性质的重要手段。本文基于第一性原理计算与力匹配方法,开发了一套全面考虑U3+、K+和Cl离子极化效应的力场参数,并利用该力场对LiCl-KCl-UCl3熔盐体系开展了经典分子动力学模拟,系统研究了其微观结构、配位行为和动力学性质。结果表明,新力场可准确描述U-Cl配位结构、桥连配位模式及熔盐密度,与实验值及从头算分子动力学模拟结果吻合良好。研究表明U-Cl配位层具有较高稳定性,且铀离子配位数随温度的升高而降低;KCl具有“间隔盐效应”,导致中程尺度出现结构交替行为。同时,计算得到了离子扩散系数和熔盐黏度,并建立了相应的Arrhenius关系。本工作为深入研究锕系熔盐结构与性质提供了计算模拟的理论基础,从原子尺度揭示了含铀熔盐体系的微观结构特征与动力学性质,对锕系元素分离提取具有理论指导意义。

     

    Abstract: The LiCl-KCl-UCl3 molten salt systems play a crucial role in the electrorefining process of spent nuclear fuel pyro-processing, where their microstructure and physicochemical properties directly affect the efficiency of uranium recovery. Experimental studies on actinide-containing molten salts are often challenging due to the unavoidable extreme conditions such as high temperatures, corrosiveness and strong radioactivity. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations serve as a powerful alternative tool for investigating the microscopic structure and thermophysical properties of such systems. In particular, classical MD based on the polarizable ion model (PIM) potential has been widely used to relatively accurately describe the microstructure, thermodynamics, and transport properties of high-temperature molten salts. In this work, a new set of PIM force field parameters were developed via a force-matching approach, incorporating the polarization effects of U3+, K+, and Cl ions. Using this force field, MD simulations were performed to systematically study the microstructure, coordination chemistry, ionic correlations, and dynamic properties of the LiCl-KCl-UCl3 system. The results demonstrate that the newly developed force field fairly accurately reproduces U-Cl coordination structures, bridging coordination modes, and molten salt density, agreeing well with experimental data and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. The MD simulation results reveal that the U-Cl coordination shell exhibits relatively high stability, with the coordination number of uranium decreasing as temperature increases. Moreover, KCl acts as a “spacer salt”, leading to KCl-separated correlations between complexes and networks at intermediate length scales. Additionally, the self-diffusion coefficients of the ionic species and the viscosity of the melt were computed, both of which follow Arrhenius-type behavior. This study provides a computational simulation framework for understanding the structures and properties of actinide molten salt systems. The developed simulation method offers atomic-scale insights into the microstructural and dynamic behavior of uranium-containing melts, providing theoretical guidance for the separation and extraction of actinide elements.

     

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