Cleanup of plutonium oxide reduction black salts
This work describes pyrochemical processes employed to convert direc oxide reduction (DOR) black salts into discardable white salt and plutonium metal. The DOR process utilizes calcium metal as the reductant in a molten calcium chloride solvent salt to convert plutonium oxide to plutonium metal. An insoluble plutonium-rich dispersion called black salt sometimes forms between the metal phase and the salt phase. Black salts accumulated for processing were treated by one of two methods. One method utilized a scrub alloy of 70 wt % magnesium/30 wt % zinc. The other method utilized a pool of plutonium metal to agglomerate the metal phase. The two processes were similar in that calcium metal reductant and calcium chloride solvent salt were used in both cases. Four runs were performed by each method, and each method produced greater than 93% conversion of the black salt.
- Research Organization:
- Rockwell International Corp., Golden, CO (USA). Rocky Flats Plant
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP03533
- OSTI ID:
- 6603001
- Report Number(s):
- RFP-3939; ON: DE87009466
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACTINIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
METALS
MOLTEN SALTS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PLUTONIUM
PYROCHEMICAL REPROCESSING
RECOVERY
REDUCTION
REPROCESSING
ROCKY FLATS PLANT
SALTS
SCRAP
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES