IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO PROCESS FOR TREATING NUCLEAR FUEL

Patent · Wed Jun 22 00:00:00 EDT 1960

OSTI ID:4144671

Dawson, J K; Gibson, A R; McKay, H A

A method for recovering the fissile material (plutonium or uranium) from irradiated reactor fuel for subsequent reuse is given whereby a large proportion of fission products is removed from the fissile material. The method consists of adding the fuel metal to a melt of PbCl/sub 2/ and an alkali chloride (to lower the m. p.) until all the lead is displaced, separating the melt from the lead, adding aluminum until all the fissile material is displaced, and separating the fissile material-aluminum alloy from the AlCl/sub 3/ melt. If aluminum is added in excess, the fission products that followed the fissile material into the PbCl/ sub 2/ melt may be displaced by aluminum owing to the tendency of rare earths to alloy with aluminum. These fission products may be volatilized from the metal by heating to 1200 deg C. (D.L.C.)

• Research Organization: Originating Research Org. not identified
• NSA Number: NSA-14-025569
• OSTI ID: 4144671
• Report Number(s): GB 838508
• Country of Publication: United Kingdom
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALKALI METALS
ALUMINUM
ALUMINUM ALLOYS
ALUMINUM CHLORIDES
CHEMISTRY
CHLORIDES
EVAPORATION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FUELS
LEAD CHLORIDES
MELTING
PLUTONIUM
RARE EARTHS
RECOVERY
REPROCESSING
URANIUM