Dissolution of plutonium dioxide using HCl-HF

Technical Report · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5056866· OSTI ID:5056866

Bray, L A; Ryan, J L; Wheelwright, E J

High-fired PuO/sub 2/ (950/sup 0/ to 1700/sup 0/C) can be dissolved in boiling 6.1 M HCl when the fluoride ion concentration to plutonium mole (F/sup -//Pu) ratio is >0.5. The amount of PuO/sub 2/ (950/sup 0/C calcined oxide) dissolved in 1 hour increased from approx.0.2% to 66%, 91%, and 100% as the F/sup -//Pu ratio increased from 0 to 0.5, 1.0, and 1.8, respectively. The PuO/sub 2/ dissolution rates in HCl-CaF/sub 2/ solutions decrease with increasing oxide calcination temperatures and decreasing oxide surface areas. At a F/sup -//Pu ratio of 1.8, the 1700/sup 0/C calcined oxide was completely dissolved in 2.5 hours versus 1 hour for the 950/sup 0/C calcined oxide.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5056866
• Report Number(s): PNL-6027; ON: DE87001870
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050800 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
400702* -- Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry-- Properties of Radioactive Materials
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
DISSOLUTION
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
HYDROFLUORIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS