Salt transport extraction of transuranium elements from lwr fuel

Patent · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:868523

Pierce, R Dean ^[1]; Ackerman, John P ^[2]; Battles, James E ^[3]; Johnson, Terry R ^[4]; Miller, William E ^[1]

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1. Naperville, IL
2. Downers Grove, IL
3. Oak Forest, IL
4. Wheaton, IL

A process of separating transuranium actinide values from uranium values present in spent nuclear oxide fuels which contain rare earth and noble metal fission products. The oxide fuel is reduced with Ca metal in the presence of CaCl.sub.2 and a Cu--Mg alloy containing not less than about 25% by weight Mg at a temperature in the range of from about 750.degree. C. to about 850.degree. C. to precipitate uranium metal and some of the noble metal fission products leaving the Cu--Mg alloy having transuranium actinide metals and rare earth fission product metals and some of the noble metal fission products dissolved therein. The CaCl.sub.2 having CaO and fission products of alkali metals and the alkali earth metals and iodine dissolved therein is separated and electrolytically treated with a carbon electrode to reduce the CaO to Ca metal while converting the carbon electrode to CO and CO.sub.2. The Ca metal and CaCl.sub.2 is recycled to reduce additional oxide fuel. The Cu--Mg alloy having transuranium metals and rare earth fission product metals and the noble metal fission products dissolved therein is contacted with a transport salt including Mg Cl.sub.2 to transfer Mg values from the transport salt to the Cu--Mg alloy while transuranium actinide and rare earth fission product metals transfer from the Cu--Mg alloy to the transport salt. Then the transport salt is mixed with a Mg--Zn alloy to transfer Mg values from the alloy to the transport salt while the transuranium actinide and rare earth fission product values dissolved in the salt are reduced and transferred to the Mg--Zn alloy.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 5160367
• OSTI ID: 868523
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

salt
transport
extraction
transuranium
elements
lwr
fuel
process
separating
actinide
values
uranium
spent
nuclear
oxide
fuels
contain
rare
earth
noble
metal
fission
products
reduced
presence
cacl
cu-mg
alloy
containing
25
weight
mg
temperature
range
750
degree
850
precipitate
leaving
metals
product
dissolved
therein
cao
alkali
iodine
separated
electrolytically
treated
carbon
electrode
reduce
converting
recycled
additional
contacted
including
transfer
mixed
mg-zn
transferred
alkali earth
salt including
carbon electrode
actinide values
dissolved therein
alloy containing
fission product
fission products
alkali metal
oxide fuel
rare earth
spent nuclear
noble metal
earth metal
alkali metals
uranium metal
earth metals
product values
earth fission
product metals
actinide metals
actinide metal
uranium values
transuranium actinide
metal fission
separating transuranium
transuranium elements
product metal
oxide fuels
nuclear oxide
lwr fuel
iodine dissolved
transport extraction
contain rare
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