Separation and Recovery of Uranium Metal from Spent Light Water Reactor Fuel via Electrolytic Reduction and Electrorefining
A series of bench-scale experiments was performed in a hot cell at Idaho National Laboratory to demonstrate the separation and recovery of uranium metal from spent light water reactor (LWR) oxide fuel. The experiments involved crushing spent LWR fuel to particulate and separating it from its cladding. Oxide fuel particulate was then converted to metal in a series of six electrolytic reduction runs that were performed in succession with a single salt loading of molten LiCl – 1 wt% Li2O at 650 °C. Analysis of salt samples following the series of electrolytic reduction runs identified the diffusion of select fission products from the spent fuel to the molten salt electrolyte. The extents of metal oxide conversion in the post-test fuel were also quantified, including a nominal 99.7% conversion of uranium oxide to metal. Uranium metal was then separated from the reduced LWR fuel in a series of six electrorefining runs that were performed in succession with a single salt loading of molten LiCl-KCl-UCl3 at 500 °C. Analysis of salt samples following the series of electrorefining runs identified additional partitioning of fission products into the molten salt electrolyte. Analyses of the separated uranium metal were performed, and its decontamination factors were determined.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE - NE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-05ID14517
- OSTI ID:
- 990347
- Report Number(s):
- INL/JOU-08-14946; NUTYBB; TRN: US1007298
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Technology, Vol. 171, Issue 3; ISSN 0029-5450
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
CRUSHING
DECONTAMINATION
DIFFUSION
EFFICIENCY
ELECTROREFINING
FISSION PRODUCTS
HOT CELLS
MOLTEN SALTS
NUCLEAR FUELS
OXIDES
PARTICULATES
SPENT FUELS
URANIUM
URANIUM OXIDES
WATER
electrolytic reduction
electrorefining
LWR fuel treatment
oxide reduction
pyroprocessing of oxide fuel