Recovery of plutonium from molten salt extraction residues
Savannah River Laboratory (SRL), Savannah River Plant (SRP), and Rocky Flats Plant (RFP) are jointly developing a process to recover plutonium from molten salt extraction residues. These NaCl, KCl, MgCl/sub 2/ residues, which are generated in the pyrochemical extraction of /sup 241/Am from aged plutonium metal, contain up to 25 wt % dissolved PUCl/sub 3/ and up to 2 wt % AmCl/sub 3/. The objective is to develop a process to convert these residues to plutonium metal product and discardable waste. The first step of the conceptual process is to convert the actinides to a heterogenous scrub alloy with aluminum and magnesium. This step, performed at RFP, effectively separates the actinides from the bulk of the chloride. This scrub alloy will then be dissolved in a HNO/sub 3/-HF solution at SRP. Residual chloride will be removed by precipitation with Hg/sub 2/(NO/sub 3/)/sub 2/ followed by centrifugation. Plutonium and americium will be separated using the Purex solvent extraction process. The /sup 241/Am will be diverted to the solvent extraction waste stream where it can either be discarded to the waste farm or recovered. The plutonium will be finished via PuF/sub 3/ precipitation, oxidation to a mixture of PUF/sub 4/ and PuO/sub 2/, followed by reduction to plutonium metal with calcium.
- Research Organization:
- Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.; Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Plant
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-76SR00001
- OSTI ID:
- 5613543
- Report Number(s):
- DP-MS-83-103; CONF-8310185-1; ON: DE84001534
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 3. pyrochemistry workshop, Golden, CO, USA, 25 Oct 1983; Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
PLUTONIUM
PUREX PROCESS
RECOVERY
AMERICIUM 241
AMERICIUM CHLORIDES
MAGNESIUM CHLORIDES
MOLTEN SALTS
PLUTONIUM CHLORIDES
POTASSIUM CHLORIDES
PRECIPITATION
RESIDUES
SODIUM CHLORIDES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM COMPOUNDS
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ELEMENTS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
METALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
REPROCESSING
SALTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSPLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
050800* - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing