Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Electrorefiner system for recovering purified metal from impure nuclear feed material

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1222636
; ; ; ; ;
An electrorefiner system according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention may include a vessel configured to maintain a molten salt electrolyte and configured to receive a plurality of alternately arranged cathode and anode assemblies. The anode assemblies are configured to hold an impure nuclear feed material. Upon application of the power system, the impure nuclear feed material is anodically dissolved and a purified metal is deposited on the cathode rods of the cathode assemblies. A scraper is configured to dislodge the purified metal deposited on the cathode rods. A conveyor system is disposed at a bottom of the vessel and configured to remove the dislodged purified metal from the vessel.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
Assignee:
GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC (Wilmington, NC)
Patent Number(s):
9,150,975
Application Number:
13/335,082
OSTI ID:
1222636
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (3)

Physico-chemical analyses and solidification path reconstruction of multi-component oxidic spread melts journal February 2001
Cerium, uranium, and plutonium behavior in glass-bonded sodalite, a ceramic nuclear waste form journal May 2000
Electrolytic production of metallic uranium from U3O8 in a 20-kg batch scale reactor journal May 2006

Similar Records

Cathode scraper system and method of using the same for removing uranium
Patent · 2015 · OSTI ID:1169105
Continuous process electrorefiner
Patent · 2006 · OSTI ID:908261
PLUTONIUM ELECTROREFINING CELLS
Patent · 1963 · OSTI ID:4682116

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS