Recovery of UO[sub 2]/PuO[sub 2] in IFR electrorefining process

Patent · Tue Oct 18 00:00:00 EDT 1994

OSTI ID:6898492

Tomczuk, Z; Miller, W E

A process is described for converting PuO[sub 2] and UO[sub 2] present in an electrorefiner to the chlorides, by contacting the PuO[sub 2] and UO[sub 2] with Li metal in the presence of an alkali metal chloride salt substantially free of rare earth and actinide chlorides for a time and at a temperature sufficient to convert the UO[sub 2] and PuO[sub 2] to metals while converting Li metal to Li[sub 2]O. Li[sub 2]O is removed either by reducing with rare earth metals or by providing an oxygen electrode for transporting O[sub 2] out of the electrorefiner and a cathode, and thereafter applying an emf to the electrorefiner electrodes sufficient to cause the Li[sub 2]O to disassociate to O[sub 2] and Li metal but insufficient to decompose the alkali metal chloride salt. The U and Pu and excess lithium are then converted to chlorides by reaction with CdCl[sub 2].

• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
• Patent Number(s): US 5356605; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-967652
• OSTI ID: 6898492
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: 28 Oct 1992
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE
CHLORINATION
ELECTROREFINING
REDUCTION
URANIUM DIOXIDE
CADMIUM CHLORIDES
LITHIUM
LITHIUM OXIDES
PLUTONIUM CHLORIDES
URANIUM CHLORIDES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALI METALS
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CADMIUM HALIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ELECTROLYSIS
ELEMENTS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HALOGENATION
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
LYSIS
METALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
PROCESSING
REFINING
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
050400* - Nuclear Fuels- Feed Processing