Phosphate precipitation from the melts containing mixtures of rare earth elements: Particle size distribution analysis

Abstract

Precipitation of a mixture of rare earth (RE) phosphates from LiCl–KCl–RECl3 melts was investigated with lithium orthophosphate acting as the phosphate precursor. The amount of the phosphate precipitant was calculated to enable 100 % precipitation and the ratio of RE elements in the melt corresponded to that of RE fission products found in spent nuclear fuels. Molten salt was stirred with various rates during the precipitation. X-ray powder diffraction analysis was employed for identifying the compounds formed and particle size distribution curves were measured.