Electrical Conductivity of Zirconium Tetrachloride Solutions in Molten Sodium, Potassium and Cesium Chlorides
AbstractThe electrical conductivities of the MCl-ZrCl4 (M = Na, K, Cs) melts at the ZrCl4 concentration of <33 mol.% were studied within the range of concentrations and temperatures at which the vapor pressure above the melt is <1 atm. Such melts are of interest for industrial use. The conductivities of the molten KCl-ZrCl4 (10–25 mol.% ZrCl4) and CsCl-ZrCl4 (10–30 mol.% ZrCl4) solutions were measured for the first time. The data on the conductivities of the NaCl-ZrCl4 melts with the ZrCl4 concentration ranging from 10.5 to 25.5 mol.% were refined. In all cases studied, results showed that the conductivity of the melts increased as the temperature increased and that the conductivity of the melts decreased as the concentration of ZrCl4 increased. The same tendency was observed in a series of NaCl-ZrCl4, KCl-ZrCl4 and CsCl-ZrCl4 melts.