REPROCESSING OF POWER REACTOR FUELS. Quarterly Progress Report No. 11 for April 1, 1960 to July 1, 1960

Technical Report · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1960

OSTI ID:4114854

Meyer, L.H. comp.

Electrolytic dissolution in HNO/sub 3/ was successfully applied to unirradiated stainless steel-UO/sub 2/ cermet fuels and to Al-U alloy. Interrupting the current during electrolytic disintegration of Zr-U alloy improved the mechanical operation but did not improve the recovery efficiency of uranium. An anode basket with a V-shaped bottom was superior to a flat-bottomed basket in maintaining contact with elements during electrolytic dissolution. The uranium was satisfactorily recovered from stainless-steel-clad UO/sub 2/ elements by electrolytic dissolution in HNO/sub 3/, followed by solvent extraction. The uranium was recovered from unirradiated Zr-U fuels by chemical dissolution in solutions with low controlled-free fluoride concentration followed by solvent extraction. Rates of corrosion of 304L and 309SCb stainless steel by 10M HNO/sub 3/, containing dissolved 304L stainless steel, were significantly higher than rates for corresponding solutions 4M in HNO/sub 3/. Vapor phase corrosion of 309SCb stainless steel by HF-HNO/sub 3/ solutions was greater than the liquid phase corrosion. The reverse was true for corrosion of 309SCb stainless steel by NH/sub 4/F-NH/sub 4/NO/sub 3/ solutions. (auth)

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) & Co. Savannah River Lab., Aiken, S.C.
• NSA Number: NSA-15-007403
• OSTI ID: 4114854
• Report Number(s): DP-519
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALUMINUM
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
ANODES
CERMETS
CHEMISTRY
CORROSION
EFFICIENCY
ELECTROLYSIS
FLUORIDES
FUELS
HYDROGEN FLUORIDES
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
POWER
REACTORS
RECOVERY
REPROCESSING
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
STAINLESS STEELS
URANIUM ALLOYS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
VAPORS
ZIRCONIUM