Zirconium Sludge Criticality Calculations in Large Process Tanks

Conference · Fri Feb 02 04:00:00 EST 2024

OSTI ID:2382764

Wade, Brindley ^[1]; Devine, Nathan P. ^[2]

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1. Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
2. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), Aiken, SC (United States)

The Savannah River Site’s (SRS) H-Canyon recently re-activated its 6.3D electrolytic dissolver to dissolve stainless steel clad research reactor fuels from Japan. A potential new mission was identified to dissolve other long-cooled fuel stored at SRS that is not aluminum clad. In the basic process of dissolution, the spent fuel dissolves into nitric acid (bulk solution). The eight ft. high and four ft. radius 6.3D dissolver is unique in that it has a platinum-coated niobium insert to resist corrosion, and the niobium basket forms an anode and cathode arrangement within the charge chute (Fig 1,2). DC current flows from anode to cathode, at up to 10,000 amps at 45 volts, through the potential gradient in the nitric acid solution, which allows the stainless steel (or other non-aluminum cladding) of the fuel to dissolve.

• Research Organization: Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-08SR22470
• OSTI ID: 2382764
• Report Number(s): SRNS-STI-2024-00046
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English