Restoring solvent for nuclear separation processes
Solvent extraction separation processes are used to recover usable nuclear materials from spent fuels. These processes involve the use of an extractant/diluent (solvent) for separation of the reusable actinides from unwanted fission products. The most widely used processes employ tributyl phosphate as an extractant diluted with a normal-paraffin hydrocarbon. During use, the solvent is altered due to hydrolysis and radiolysis, forming materials that influence product losses, product decontamination, and separation efficiencies. In most processes, the solvent is recycled after cleaning. Solvent cleaning generally involves scrubbing with a sodium carbonate solution. Studies at the Savannah River Laboratory have shown that carbonate washing, although removing residual solvent activity, does not removed more solvent-soluble binding ligands (formed by solvent degradation), which hold fission products in the solvent. Treatment of the solvent with a solid adsorbent after carbonate washing removes binding ligands and significantly improves recycled solvent performance. Laboratory work to establish the advantage of adsorbent cleaning and the development of a full-scale adsorption process will be described. The application of this process for cleaning the first cycle solvent of a Savannah River Plant production process will be discussed.
- Research Organization:
- E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Aiken, SC (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6239441
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-871038-
- Journal Information:
- Sep. Sci. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Sep. Sci. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 23:12-13; ISSN SSTED
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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ACTINIDES
ADSORBENTS
ADSORPTION
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
EFFICIENCY
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
ESTERS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
EXTRACTION
FISSION PRODUCTS
GAMMA RADIATION
INFORMATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
METALS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SOLVENTS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SIZE
PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTERS
RADIATIONS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVITY
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SIZE
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SOLVENT PROPERTIES
SOLVENTS
SORPTION
SORPTIVE PROPERTIES
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TBP
TIME DEPENDENCE