SULFEX-THOREX AND DAREX-THOREX DISSOLUTION OF HIGH-BURNUP CONSOLIDATED EDISON REACTOR FUEL

Technical Report · Thu Dec 21 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4812024

Ewing, R A; Brugger, H B; Sunderman, D N

Response of high-burnup prototype Consolidated Edison power-reactor fuel pins to the Darex-Thorex and SulfexThorex head-end processes was investigated on a laboratory scale. Losses of uranium to 6 M H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/(Sulfex) decladding solutions were in the 0.05 to 0.15% range, for burnups of from about 1000 to 20000 Mwd/t of core. Losses of uranium to dilute aqua regia (Darex) decladding solutions, fairly comparable at 1000 Mwd/t, 0.1 to 0.3%, increased to 1 to 3% at burnups of about 10000 to 20000 Mwd/t. Rate of dissolution of dejacketed fuel cores appeared to be enhanced by irradiation to high burnup. No selectivity of dissolution of core components was apparent. At high burnups, neutron-activated cobalt-60 is a minor contributor to the total activity of decladding solutions. Principal contributors to the radioactivity of decladding solutions are fission products, which, except for cesium, appear to be present in approximately the same proportion as the fuel dissolved. Cesium contents of decladding solutions, though variable, are sufficiently high that they must be taken into account in radiochemical burnup determinations. (auth)

• Research Organization: Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus, Ohio
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• NSA Number: NSA-16-007286
• OSTI ID: 4812024
• Report Number(s): BMI-1560
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BURNUP
CANNING
CESIUM
COBALT 60
DAREX PROCESS
FUEL ELEMENTS
IRRADIATION
JACKETS
LOSSES
MEASURED VALUES
POWER PLANTS
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOCHEMISTRY
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REPROCESSING
RODS
SOLUTIONS
SULFEX PROCESS
SULFURIC ACID
THOREX PROCESS
URANIUM