Pyrochemical processing of plutonium. Technology review report
Non-aqueous processes are now in routine use for direct conversion of plutonium oxide to metal, molten salt extraction of americium, and purification of impure metals by electrorefining. These processes are carried out at elevated temperatures in either refractory metal crucibles or magnesium-oxide ceramics in batch-mode operation. Direct oxide reduction is performed in units up to 700 gram PuO/sub 2/ batch size with molten calcium metal as the reductant and calcium chloride as the reaction flux. Americium metal is removed from plutonium metal by salt extraction with molten magnesium chloride. Electrorefining is used to isolate impurities from molten plutonium by molten salt ion transport in a controlled potential oxidation-reduction cell. Such cells can purify five or more kilograms of impure metal per 5-day electrorefining cycle. The product metal obtained is typically > 99.9% pure, starting from impure feeds. Metal scrap and crucible skulls are recovered by hydriding of the metallic residues and recovered either as impure metal or oxide feeds.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA); Rockwell International Corp., Golden, CO (USA). Rocky Flats Plant; Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6224119
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-88116; CONF-820909-21; ON: DE83013021
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
AMERICIUM
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELECTROLYSIS
ELECTROREFINING
ELEMENTS
LYSIS
METALS
MOLTEN SALTS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
PROCESSING
PYROCHEMICAL REPROCESSING
REDUCTION
REFINING
REPROCESSING
SALTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS