First steps in the development of an oxygen sensor device for Pb/Bi melts

A potentiometric device for oxygen determination in Pb/Bi melts has been developed. The reference electrode was In2O3/In. The sensor was Mo and the solid electrolyte was ZrO2/Y2O3.Experiences have been made in two types of atmospheres, over the Pb/Bi melt at 773K:ultrapure N-2 and air (20% O-2) The experiment was static, not bubbling gas through the melt.In N-2 atmosphere, the partial oxygen pressure in the melt was 1.5 . 10(-41) N/m(2). This value corresponds approximately to the value of PbO equilibrium pressure.With air atmosphere, the partial oxygen pressure in the melt was 2.4 . 10(-19) N/m(2).Now we are working in the correlation between partial pressure and oxygen concentration in the Pb/Bi melt.