Electrical conductivity of ZrCl4 solutions in the molten LiCl-KCl eutectic

Abstract The electrical conductivity of (LiCl-KCl)eut.– ZrCl₄ molten mixtures has been studied as a function of the ZrCl₄ concentrations (0–30 mol. %) at the temperature ranging from 764 to 1075 K and gradual zirconium tetrachloride concentration growth of ~ 5 mol. %. For these measurements a conductometric cell of an original construction has been used. The electrical conductivity of the formed mixtures was found to range from 0.9 to 2.8 S/cm. The temperature elevation resulted in the increase in electrical conductivity, whereas the increased ZrCl₄ concentration resulted in the decrease in the melt electrical conductivity. The newly determined results on the electrical conductivity have been compared with those previously obtained for other zirconium-containing molten systems and discussed considering the available data on the structure of such melts. The liquidus line has been first constructed for the (LiCl-KCl)eut. – ZrCl₄ quasi-binary system at the zirconium tetrachloride concentrations reaching 30 mol. %.