Device and method for determining the composition of an electrolyte

A method for molten electrolyte composition analysis, comprising:

• immersing a device into a molten electrolyte, wherein the device comprises a compartment containing a reference material and at least one receptacle that the molten electrolyte fills when the device is immersed;
• using a first temperature sensor to read a first temperature data of the molten electrolyte;
• using a second temperature sensor to read a second temperature data of the reference material;
• removing the device from the molten electrolyte and cooling down the device having the at least one receptacle filled with the molten electrolyte;
• using the first temperature sensor to read a third temperature data of the molten electrolyte;
• using the second temperature sensor to read a fourth temperature data of the reference material;
• communicating the first temperature data, the second temperature data, the third temperature data, and the fourth temperature data to a data processing system;
• using the data processing system to draw differential-thermal curves based the first temperature data, the second temperature data, the third temperature data, and the fourth temperature data;
• and
• using the data processing system to divide the differential-thermal curves into phase peaks;
• and
• using the data processing system to analyze the phase peaks to determine phase and blend composition information for the molten electrolyte.

A method for molten electrolyte composition analysis, comprising:

• immersing a device into a molten electrolyte, wherein the device comprises a compartment containing a reference material and at least one receptacle that the molten electrolyte fills when the device is immersed, such that the at least one receptacle fills with at least one electrolyte sample;
• holding the device in the molten electrolyte until the temperatures of the at least one electrolyte sample and the reference material become equal based on readings from at least one first temperature sensor immersed in the reference material and at least one second temperature sensor immersed in the at least one electrolyte sample;
• removing the device having the at least one receptacle filled with the at least one electrolyte sample from the molten electrolyte and cooling down the device to a temperature lower than the solidus temperature of the at least one electrolyte sample;
• using a data processing system to register time dependencies for cooling the reference material and the at least one electrolyte sample, plot one or more thermal curve of dependence of the at least one electrolyte sample's temperature against cooling time, and plot one or more differential-thermal curves of dependence of the temperature difference between the at least one electrolyte sample and the reference material against time;
• using the data processing system to determine the phase crystallization temperature on the one or more thermal curves and corresponding peaks on the one or more differential-thermal curves, wherein the phase crystallization temperature is determined based on the projection of the beginning of a straight section of the differential-thermal curve on the thermal curve;
• using the data processing system for determining one or more phase peak parameters selected from a group consisting of the height of the phase peaks, the area of the phase peaks, and the half-width of the phase peaks, determining the concentration of the phases in the electrolyte based on a pre-determined calibration dependence, which is based on phase crystallization temperatures in electrolytes of a known composition, on at least one of the phase peak parameters;
• using the data processing system for determining the liquidus temperature and the superheat of the electrolyte and determining the phase and component composition of the at least one electrolyte sample, including all crystallizing phases, the content of which is no less than 3 wt-% in the at least one electrolyte sample.