Vapor-liquid equilibria for nitric acid-water and plutonium nitrate-nitric acid-water solutions

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5166356· OSTI ID:5166356

Maimoni, A

The liquid-vapor equilibrium data for nitric acid and nitric acid-plutnonium nitrate-water solutions were examined to develop correlations covering the range of conditions encountered in nuclear fuel reprocessing. The scanty available data for plutonium nitrate solutions are of poor quality but allow an order of magnitude estimate to be made. A formal thermodynamic analysis was attempted initially but was not successful due to the poor quality of the data as well as the complex chemical equilibria involved in the nitric acid and in the plutonium nitrate solutions. Thus, while there was no difficulty in correlating activity coefficients for nitric acid solutions over relatively narrow temperature ranges, attempts to extend the correlations over the range 25/sup 0/C to the boiling point were not successful. The available data were then analyzed using empirical correlations from which normal boiling points and relative volatilities can be obtained over the concentration ranges 0 to 700 g/l Pu, 0 to 13 M nitric acid. Activity coefficients are required, however, if estimates of individual component vapor pressures are needed. The required ternary activity coefficients can be approximated from the correlations.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5166356
• Report Number(s): UCID-18148; TRN: 80-015424
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
NITRIC ACID
EQUILIBRIUM
VOLATILITY
PLUTONIUM NITRATES
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
EVAPORATION
LIQUIDS
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE
VAPORS
WATER
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
DISPERSIONS
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
MIXTURES
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
SOLUTIONS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
400702* - Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry- Properties of Radioactive Materials
050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
055001 - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability- Technical Aspects