Liquid centrifugation for nuclear waste partitioning
The performance of liquid centrifugation for nuclear waste partitioning is examined for the Accelerator Transmutation of Waste Program currently under study at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Centrifugation might have application for the separation of the LiF-BeF{sub 2} salt from heavier radioactive materials fission product and actinides in the separation of fission product from actinides, in the isotope separation of fission-product cesium before transmutation of the {sup 137}Cs and {sup 135}Cs, and in the removal of spallation product from the liquid lead target. It is found that useful chemical separations should be possible using existing materials for the centrifuge construction for all four cases with the actinide fraction in fission product perhaps as low as 1 part in 10{sup 7} and the fraction of {sup 137}CS in {sup 133}Cs being as low as a few parts in 10{sup 5}. A centrifuge cascade has the advantage that it can be assembled and operated as a completely closed system without a waste stream except that associated with maintenance or replacement of centrifuge components.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 7023850
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-92-1065; ON: DE93000342
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Transmutation of radioactive nuclear waste
Why have we stopped research on liquid centrifugal separation
Related Subjects
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
CENTRIFUGATION
TRANSMUTATION
ACTINIDES
BERYLLIUM FLUORIDES
CENTRIFUGES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
FISSION PRODUCTS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
LEAD
LITHIUM FLUORIDES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BERYLLIUM COMPOUNDS
CONCENTRATORS
ELEMENTS
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPES
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
LITHIUM HALIDES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METALS
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
SEPARATION PROCESSES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
400703 - Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry- Radioisotope Production