Direct Plutonium Oxide Reduction/Electrorefining Interface Program

Technical Report · Sun Apr 20 23:00:00 EST 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5834900· OSTI ID:5834900

Baldwin, C. E. ^[1]; Berry, J. W. ^[1]; Giebel, R. E. ^[1]; Long, J. L. ^[1]; Moser, W. S. ^[1]; Navratil, J. D. ^[1]; Tibbitts, S. F. ^[1]

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1. Rockwell International Corp., Golden, CO (United States). Rocky Flats Plant

Research test work and production data evaluation were performed by the Direct Oxide Reduction (DOR)/Electrorefining (ER) Interface Task Team to determine the cause for poor efficiency and yields during ER of DOR metal product. Production data and preliminary test results provided a working hypothesis. Extremely high loadings of impurities (whatever their exact source and identity) in the DOR product metal may lead to failure of the metal to become a molten anode at ER operating temperatures. Moderate impurity levels permit attainment of a molten anode, but lead to low yields because of premature anode solidification. The test results did not conclusively prove the hypothesis or identify specific mechanisms, but were qualitatively supportive. By stirring the molten anode metal pool, as well as the molten salt phase, generally good ER runs were obtained with both DOR and non-DOR feeds. These limited preliminary results suggest that anode stirring decreases the sensitivity of the ER process to DOR-related impurities. Suggested corrective measures included: (1) minimizing impurities in DOR feed to ER and (2) continued evaluation of anode stirring along with run termination by back-EMF measurements. 1 ref., 3 figs., 13 tabs.

• Research Organization: Rockwell International Corp., Golden, CO (United States). Rocky Flats Plant
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP03533
• OSTI ID: 5834900
• Report Number(s): RFP--3858; ON: DE86011673
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ANODES
CALCINATION
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
Calcination
Calcium
Calcium Chloride
Ceramics
DECOMPOSITION
Direct Oxide Reduction
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRODES
ELECTROLYSIS
ELECTROREFINING
Electrorefining
Furnaces
IMPURITIES
LYSIS
Magnesium Chloride
Molten Salt
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
Oxides
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
PROCESSING
PYROLYSIS
Plutonium
Plutonium Dioxide
Plutonium Metal
Plutonium Oxide
Plutonium Processing
Plutonium Reduction
Purification
Pyrochemical Processes
Pyrometallurgy
REDUCTION
REFINING
Reduction Salt Fluxing
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
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