In KAERI’s previous phosphate precipitation tests, the dispersed powder of lithium phosphate (Li3PO4) as a precipitation agent reacted with various metal chlorides in a simulated LiCl-KCl molten salt. The reaction of metal chlorides composed of actinides such as uranium and three rare earths (Nd, Ce and La) with lithium phosphate is a solid-liquid reaction. A phosphorylation reaction rate is very fast and the metal phosphates as a reaction product precipitated on the bottom of the molten salt crucible. One of the recovery methods of the metal phosphate precipitates is segregation the lower part (precipitates) of the salt ingot using the various cutting tools. Recently, a new phosphorylation experiment using lithium phosphate ingots carried out in order to collect the metal phosphate precipitates into a small recovering vessel, and the test result of this new method was feasible. However, the reaction rate of test using lithium phosphate ingot is extremely slower than that of test using lithium phosphate powder. In this study, the precipitation reactor design (a tapered crucible with polished inner surface) used for phosphorylation reaction showed that the salt ingot with metal phosphate precipitates could be detached from a tapered stainless steel crucible. We propose that the recovery of precipitates from a salt ingot is possible by introducing a dividing plate structure into a molten salt and by positioning it at the interface between salt and precipitated metal phosphate.

• Joon-Bo Shim(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)) Corresponding author
• Sang-Woon Kwon(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI))
• Chang Hwa Lee(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI))