Fluorination of incinerator ash by hydrofluorination or ammonium bifluoride fusion for plutonium recovery

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6019809

Fink, S D; Gray, J H; Kent, S J; Apgar, S A

Incinerator ash containing small quantities of plutonium has been accumulating across the defense complex for many years. Although the total Pu inventory is small, the ash is a nondiscardable residue which presents storage and accountability difficulties. The work discussed here is the result of a joint exploratory effort between members of Savannah River Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory to compare two proposed pyrochemical pretreatments of incinerator ash prior to aqueous processing. These experiments attempted to determine the relative effectiveness of hydrofluorination and ammonium bifluoride fusion as head-end operations for a two step aqueous recovery method. The two pretreatments are being considered as possible second generation enhancements for the New Special Recovery Facility nearing operation at Savannah River Plant. Experimental results and potential engineering concerns are discussed. 3 figs.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 6019809
• Report Number(s): WSRC-RP-89-145; CONF-8905122-6-Vugraphs; ON: DE89013772
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDES
AEROSOL WASTES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
AMMONIUM FLUORIDES
ASHES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
FLUORIDES
FLUORINATION
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
FLY ASH
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HALOGENATION
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PLUTONIUM
PYROCHEMICAL REPROCESSING
RECOVERY
REPROCESSING
RESIDUES
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES