Electroreduction Fundamental Study of Solid U₃O₈ in Molten LiCl

Direct reduction of spent oxide fuel to mix-metal is the key step of an important dry reprocessing process, which is feature with electroreduction-electrorefinning. UO₂ is the main component in spent fuel. The transform of compact UO₂ pellet to U₃O₈ powder could effectively improve the electroreduction rate. Therefore, taking U₃O₈ as research object, studying its electrochemical behaviors during the electroreduction process has certain practical significance for the development of this process. In this paper, the electroreduction behaviors of U₃O₈ in molten LiCl (650 ℃) were studied using cyclic voltammetry and constant potential electrolysis technology. The after electrolysis products were analyzed by XRD and SEM. Finally, a reduction mechanism was also proposed.