Department of Nuclear Engineering
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[Seminar] Molten Salt Applications: Chemistry, Structure and Properties Correlation
October 29, 2020 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
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Dr. Ruchi Gakhar
Research Scientist
Idaho National Laboratory
Abstract
The universal goal to improve the operating efficiencies of power plants is driving the design of new plants towards operations at ever increasing temperature regimes. Recently, molten salts have regained the attention of the community for their use in advanced nuclear and solar thermal power plants. Different types of molten salt mixtures, such as fluorides, chlorides, and nitrates, are being widely studied. A fundamental knowledge of salt chemistry, including the speciation and solubility of corrosion and fission products is intricate to the safe and reliable long-term operation of these processes. The structural properties of fused salts are derived from the melt composition and temperature in intricate ways, borne out primarily by coordination geometry around the metal ions in the melt. Using a combination of optical absorption spectroscopy coupled with synchrotron techniques such as XAFS and XANES modelling, the speciation and structure of transition metal ions and lanthanides in molten salts can be investigated as a function of temperature, concentration, and melt composition. Dr. Gakhar will discuss these phenomena through her research work and will also present an overview of the ongoing research activities at Pyrochemistry and Molten Salt Systems Department at INL.
Biography
Dr. Ruchi Gakhar is Research Scientist in Pyroprocessing and Molten Salt Systems Department at Idaho National Lab (INL). Dr. Gakhar obtained her PhD in Materials Science from University of Nevada Reno (in December 2015). She also holds two Master’s degrees in Chemistry and Nanotechnology. At INL, Dr. Gakhar is leading several DOE-funded projects on molten salt chemistry, structure and property characterization. Molten salt chemistry monitoring using Optical Spectroscopy is the primary focus of her current research. Today, she will provide an overview of her research projects, primarily a BES-EFRC research project ‘Molten Salts under Extreme Environments (MSEE).
Thursday, October 29. 2020
4:00 pm seminar