PYROCHEMICAL DECONTAMINATION METHOD FOR REACTOR FUEL

Patent · Tue Jun 30 00:00:00 EDT 1959

OSTI ID:4205966

Buyers, A G

A pyro-chemical method is presented for decontaminating neutron irradiated uranium and separating plutonium therefrom by contact in the molten state with a metal chloride salt. Uranium trichloride and uranium tetrachloride either alone or in admixture with alkaline metal and alkaline eanth metal fluorides under specified temperature and specified phase ratio conditions extract substantially all of the uranium from the irradiated uranium fuel together with certain fission products. The phases are then separated leaving purified uranium metal. The uranium and plutonium in the salt phase can be reduced to forin a highly decontaminated uraniumplutonium alloy. The present method possesses advantages for economically decontaminating irradiated nuclear fuel elements since irradiated fuel may be proccessed immediately after withdrawal from the reactor and the uranium need not be dissolved and later reduced to the metallic form. Accordingly, the uranium may be economically refabricated and reinserted into the reactor.

• Research Organization: Originating Research Org. not identified
• NSA Number: NSA-13-022170
• Assignee: U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
• Patent Number(s): US 2892701
• OSTI ID: 4205966
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-59
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CHEMISTRY
ALKALI METALS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORIDES
COMPOUNDS
DECONTAMINATION
ECONOMICS
FISSION PRODUCTS
FLUORIDES
FUELS
FUSED SALTS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
IMPURITIES
IRRADIATION
MELTING
METALS
MIXING
NEUTRON BEAMS
PATENT
PERFORMANCE
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PLUTONIUM
PYROLYSIS
REDUCTION
REFINING
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
TEMPERATURE
URANIUM
URANIUM CHLORIDES