Diagnosis of sources of current inefficiency in industrial molten salt electrolysis cells by Raman spectroscopy

The purpose of this project was to employ Raman spectroscopy in the study of industrial molten salt electrolysis cells. The objective was to improve the understanding of the chemistry and electrochemistry of the relevant melt systems and, in turn, of energy loss mechanisms in the industrial processes. On this basis new ways to improve the energy efficiency of these industrial reactors might be identified. The research plan has several principal elements. First, there was the design and construction of laboratory scale representations of industrial molten salt electrolysis cells that would at the same time serve a spectrocells. Secondly, there was the mastery of the preparation of the molten salt electrolytes, what in industry is called the ''front end.'' Thirdly, there was the adaptation of commercially available Raman instrumentation in order to facilitate the proposed studies. It is the nature of the specimens that so dramatically distinguished this work from conventional Raman studies for which commercial instrumentation is designed: first, the laboratory scale electrolysis cells are large compared to typical spectrocells; and secondly, the cells operate at, what for Raman studies are, extremely high temperatures. 4 refs., 2 figs