Hydride-Containing Molten Salts and their Technology Implications
Abstract
Hydride-conducting molten salts such as LiH in eutectic LiCl-KCl are attractive electrolyte systems for intermediate-temperature applications. The chemically reducing characteristics of these hydride melts provide a unique method to clean metal surfaces. The high conductivity of these hydride melts makes them the best electrolytes for hydrogen-based energy applications at intermediate temperatures.. We will review some earlier work on hydride- conducting molten salts and their potential applications in energy technology. We will also describe some recent work on these hydride-containing molten salts for energy conversion and storage applications, including hydrogen sensing and hydrogen storage, electrochemical characterizations, and thermodynamic and kinetic investigations of metal-hydrogen reactions. More recently, lithium deuteride containing eutectic LiCl-KCl melts have been used for excess heat production by the process of electrolysis to charge deuterium into metal matrix such as Pd and Ti. From these studies we illustrate the prospects of this hydride molten salt technology and its implications for the use in intermediate- temperature electro-chemical energy conversion configurations. It will also reveal some interesting electrochemical aspects involved in the processes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA266458
Entities
People
- Bor Y. Liaw