Modified Purex process for the separation and recovery of plutonium--uranium residues

Technical Report · Sat Jul 08 04:00:00 EDT 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6716247· OSTI ID:6716247

Navratil, J. D.; Leebl, R. G.

A modified (one-cycle) Purex process has been developed for the separation and recovery of plutonium and uranium from mixed actinide residues. The process utilizes 30 vol % tributyl phosphate--dodecane to extract uranium from a 5M nitric acid-plutonium (III)-uranium(VI) feed. After uranium extraction, plutonium in the aqueous feed solution is purified by anion exchange technology. Uranium in the organic is scrubbed and stripped to effectively purify the uranium so that it contains <5,000 ppM plutonium. The process has been used successfully to separate residues consisting of plutonium and uranium oxide.

• Research Organization: Atomics International Div., Golden, CO (USA). Rocky Flats Plant
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-04-3533
• OSTI ID: 6716247
• Report Number(s): RFP-2675
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050800* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
052001 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDES
ALKANES
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
DODECANE
ELEMENTS
ESTERS
EXTRACTION
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ION EXCHANGE
METALS
NITRIC ACID
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTERS
PLUTONIUM
PUREX PROCESS
REPROCESSING
RESIDUES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
TBP
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM