Cell Assembly to Measure the Electrical Conductivities of Molten Salts to Their Critical Temperatures

Abstract

A cell assembly has been constructed and tested to measure electrical conductivities of fused salts up to their critical temperatures. The apparatus consisted of a quartz conductivity cell enclosed in a pressurized Hastelloy N container. Rupture of the quartz cell was prevented by application of external pressures slightly greater than the internal vapor pressure of the salt. Bismuth chloride with a critical temperature of 905°C and critical pressure of 120 bars was used as the test liquid. The determined critical conductivity of BiCl₃ was 8×10⁻³ (Ω cm)⁻¹. The results suggest that this technique can be used to measure conductivities at even higher temperatures and/or pressures.