Interfacing solvent extraction in the recovery of pyrochemical residues at the Savannah River Plant
The traditional feedstock for plutonium recovery at the Savannah River Plant (SRP) has been spent reactor fuel elements and irradiated targets. Feed sources have included both onsite reactors and a wide variety of domestic and foreign reactors. For the past few years, a growing and increasingly varied mix of unirradiated plutonium residues has been purified through SRP aqueous-based processes. Recently, plutonium residues generated in various chloride salt melts have become a significant offsite source of feed for SRP recovery operations. Impure plutonium metal and plutonium alloys have also been processed. A broader range of molten salt and other high temperature residues is anticipated for the future. The major advantage of solvent extraction for scrap purification is the versatility of the solvent extraction system which allows numerous contaminants to be removed by routine operations. Major concerns are nuclear safety control, corrosion of equipment, and control of releases to the environment. SRP's past, present, and future interfacing of solvent extraction in processing pyrochemical and other plutonium-containing residues is reviewed.
- Research Organization:
- Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Plant
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-76SR00001
- OSTI ID:
- 6908696
- Report Number(s):
- DP-MS-86-167; CONF-8610226-1; ON: DE87004187
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 6. annual plutonium pyrochemical workshop, Los Alamos, NM, USA, 7 Oct 1986; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
PLUTONIUM
RECOVERY
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
PYROCHEMICAL REPROCESSING
RESIDUES
SCRAP METALS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
ACTINIDES
ELEMENTS
EXTRACTION
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
REPROCESSING
SCRAP
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
050800* - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing