Development and demonstration of a semi-automatic system for the bulk production of lithium titanate (Li2TiO3) pebbles by solid state reaction process (SSRP)

Photograph of rotary reactor and automated granulation system for the synthesis and fabrication of pebbles of solid breeder materials viz. Li2TiO3 installed at site. [Display omitted] •A semi-automatic system for bulk production of Li2TiO3 pebbles has been designed.•The process is based on the Solid-State Reaction Process.•The system has been fabricated, installed, tested, commissioned and demonstrated.•The synthesized Li2TiO3 was single phase material.•Sintered Li2TiO3 pebbles meets all the desired properties.•The system can be easily scaled up and made fully automated. Lithium titanate (Li2TiO3) has been selected as ceramic solid tritium breeding materials for the ITER Test Blanket Module (TBM) and also for DEMO reactor. Looking towards its future demand in large quantities, it is necessary to develop a system for bulk production of the lithium titanate pebbles. A semi-automatic system for the bulk production of lithium titanate (Li2TiO3) pebbles by Solid-State Reaction Process (SSRP) has been designed, developed and successfully demonstrated. Raw materials; viz. lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) were mixed in required stoichiometry and fed into the continuous rotary synthesizer. Li2TiO3 powder was synthesized in a continuous rotary synthesizer at 10 kg/h production capacity. This synthesized powder was milled in air jet mill. Milled powder was fed into the extrusion-spheronization based automated granulation system and green, spherical Li2TiO3 pebbles of were produced at the production rate of 25 kg/h. Green spherical pebbles were dried, classified and sintered It was found that the synthesized Li2TiO3 was in monoclinic β- Li2TiO3 phase according to JCPDS No. 33-0831 and the properties of the sintered Li2TiO3 pebbles were well within the desired values. The process and various process parameters are discussed in details in this paper.