Chemical decontamination and melt densification. [Chop-leach fuel hulls]
Preliminary studies on the chemical decontamination and densification of Zircaloy, stainless steel, and Inconel undissolved residues remaining after dissolution of the UO/sub 2/--PuO/sub 2/ spent fuel material from sheared fuel bundles are reported. The studies were made on cold or very small samples to demonstrate the feasibility of the processes developed before proceeding to hot cell demonstrations with kg level of the sources. A promising aqueous decontamination method for Zr alloy cladding was developed in which oxidized surfaces are conditioned with HF prior to leaching with ammonium oxalate, ammonium citrate, ammonium fluoride, and hydrogen peroxide. Feasibility of molten salt decontamination of oxidized Zircaloy was demonstrated. A low melting alloy of Zircaloy, stainless steel, and Inconel was obtained in induction heated graphite crucibles. Segregated Zircaloy cladding sections were directly melted by the inductoslag process to yield a metal ingot suitable for storage. Both Zircaloy and Zircaloy--stainless steel--Inconel alloys proved to be highly satisfactory getters and sinks for recovered tritium. (JSR)
- Research Organization:
- Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, Wash. (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- E(45-1)-1830
- OSTI ID:
- 7352047
- Report Number(s):
- BNWL-SA-5696; CONF-760310-5; TRN: 76-014226
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: IAEA symposium on the management of radioactive waste, Vienna, Austria, 22 Mar 1976
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
INCONEL ALLOYS
DECONTAMINATION
MELTING
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
REPROCESSING
STAINLESS STEELS
ZIRCALOY
FUEL CANS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
TRITIUM
ALLOYS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CLEANING
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
FUEL ELEMENTS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MANAGEMENT
NICKEL ALLOYS
NICKEL BASE ALLOYS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STEELS
STORAGE
TIN ALLOYS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM BASE ALLOYS
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing