Removal of actinides from ICPP fuel reprocessing wastes engineering studies terminal report

Technical Report · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7089531· OSTI ID:7089531

Maxey, H. R.; Chamberlain, D. B.; McManus, G. J.; Colton, E. L.; Nebeker, R. L.

The engineering development work for a process to remove actinides from ICPP nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes is described. These wastes contain small amounts of actinides, primarily plutonium and americium. Removal of these actinides is one option being evaluated as a long-term disposal alternative. A solvent extraction process has been developed which successfully separates these actinides. Four major areas of development were examined in detail, namely the process chemistry, simulated column studies, miniature mixer-settler experiments, and pilot plant tests. Actual radioactive wastes containing actinides were used in several of these tests, though an actinide simulant (cerium) was used in the pilot plant experiments. Therefore, the relationship between actinide extraction and cerium extraction was also examined. As a result of these studies, a process was developed that will extract actinides from ICPP wastes using pulsed, sieve plate extraction columns. The resulting actinide free waste (after solidification) will be below ten nanocuries of actinides per gram, a Federal limit for transuranic waste. In addition, the Height of a Transfer Unit (HTU) was selected as being the better measure of pulse column separation efficiency than the Height Equivalent to a Theoretical Stage (HETS). Determination of column flooding, solvent cleanup and recycle considerations, and HTU/HETS calculations are also discussed.

• Research Organization: Exxon Nuclear Idaho Co., Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-79ID01675
• OSTI ID: 7089531
• Report Number(s): ENICO-1057
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDES
AMERICIUM
CERIUM
COST
DESIGN
DHDECMP
DIAGRAMS
ELEMENTS
ESTERS
EXTRACTION
EXTRACTION APPARATUSES
EXTRACTION COLUMNS
FLOWSHEETS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
IDAHO CHEMICAL PROCESSING PLANT
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
MIXER-SETTLERS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
PHOSPHONIC ACID ESTERS
PILOT PLANTS
PLUTONIUM
PROCESSING
PULSES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RARE EARTHS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING