Determination of filter pore size for use in HB line phase II production of plutonium oxide
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
H-Canyon and HB-Line are tasked with the production of plutonium oxide (PuO2) from a feed of plutonium (Pu) metal. The PuO2 will provide feed material for the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. After dissolution of the Pu metal in H-Canyon, plans are to transfer the solution to HB-Line for purification by anion exchange. Anion exchange will be followed by plutonium(IV) oxalate precipitation, filtration, and calcination to form PuO2. The filtrate solutions, remaining after precipitation, contain low levels of Pu ions, oxalate ions, and may include solids. These solutions are transferred to H-Canyon for disposition. To mitigate the criticality concern of Pu solids in a Canyon tank, past processes have used oxalate destruction or have pre-filled the Canyon tank with a neutron poison. The installation of a filter on the process lines from the HB-Line filtrate tanks to H-Canyon Tank 9.6 is proposed to remove plutonium oxalate solids. This report describes SRNL’s efforts to determine the appropriate pore size for the filters needed to perform this function. Information provided in this report aids in developing the control strategies for solids in the process.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-08SR22470
- OSTI ID:
- 1170521
- Report Number(s):
- SRNL-STI-2014-00284
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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