Pyrochemical recovery of actinide elements from spent light water reactor fuel
Argonne National Laboratory is investigating salt transport and lithium pyrochemical processes for recovery of transuranic (TRU) elements from spent light water reactor fuel. The two processes are designed to recover the TRU elements in a form compatible with the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle. The IFR is uniquely effective in consuming these long-lived TRU elements. The salt transport process uses calcium dissolved in Cu-35 wt % Mg in the presence of a CaCl{sub 2} salt to reduce the oxide fuel. The reduced TRU elements are separated from uranium and most of the fission products by using a MgCl{sub 2} transport salt. The lithium process, which does not employ a solvent metal, uses lithium in the presence of a LiCl salt as the reductant. After separation from the salt, the reduced metal is introduced into an electrorefiner, which separates the TRU elements from the uranium and fission products. In both processes, reductant and reduction salt are recovered by electrochemical decomposition of the oxide reaction product.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 10115894
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/CMT/CP-80020; CONF-940204-4; ON: DE94005386; TRN: 94:002268
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 123. annual meeting of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society,San Francisco, CA (United States),27 Feb - 3 Mar 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1994]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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