Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Electrorefining Beryllium: Operation of a Prototype Cell

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4058191· OSTI ID:4058191
 [1];  [1]
  1. Bureau of Mines, Boulder City, NV (United States). Boulder City Metallurgy Research Lab.
Scrap beryllium chips (nominally 96 to 97 percent Be) were electrorefined in a prototype cell with 408 lb of electrolyte composed of 52.4 mole-percent LiCl, 36.3 mole-percent KCl, and 11.3 mole-percent BeCl2. The cell temperature was 500° C. In a typical 10-3/4-hour deposition cycle, 0.415 pound of metal was produced; the metal contained impurities in parts per million as follows: C, 700; 0, 610; Al, 34; Ca, 32; Cu, 20; Fe, 25; Mg, 9; and Mn, 23. Operation of the prototype cell for 2 years demonstrated that adapting the electrorefining process to an enlarged scale of operation presented few difficulties in mechanical functions, maintenance of optimum operating conditions, and control of product purity. After the spent anode feed was leached in a 5-percent nitric acid solution and the fine-sized particles were removed, it was recycled in some tests. The metal produced was somewhat higher in impurities than metal from the fresh scrap chips.
Research Organization:
Bureau of Mines, Boulder City, NV (United States). Boulder City Metallurgy Research Lab.
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of the Interior
NSA Number:
NSA-18-034031
OSTI ID:
4058191
Report Number(s):
BM-RI--6489
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English