| Development and Characterization of
Porous Silicon Nitride Tubes |
Satyabrata Mishra, C. Mallika*, P. K. Das1, U. Kamachi Mudali and R. Natarajan
pages 52-55
DOI:10.1080/0371750X.2013.794034 |
| Abstract |
| As the porous aluminous porcelain diaphragm tubes in the electrolytic cells, employed in the aqueous reprocessing
of spent nuclear fuels, undergo leaching in concentrated nitric acid, corrosion resistant 600 mm long silicon nitride
tubes were developed indigenously by reaction bonding of pre-formed silicon green tubes in nitrogen atmosphere.
The process parameters for the fabrication were optimized to produce tubes with density, porosity and liquid
permeability in the range 2.2-2.5 kg.dm–3, 20-25% and 10–5-10–6 cm.s–1 respectively. The performance of the fabricated
tubes was evaluated by using them as the diaphragm tubes in the electrolytic destruction of 4 M nitric acid and the
efficiency of the process was compared with that for a cell in which a commercially available silicon nitride tube was
used as the diaphragm material. Though performance of both the tubes was comparable, the resistance offered by
the indigenous tube to the flow of current through it was much lower than that of the other tube.
[Keywords: Silicon nitride, Diaphragm tube, Reaction bonding, Semi permeable membrane,
Sintering aids, Performance evaluation] |
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