Neptunium and plutonium valence adjustment in enriched uranium processing

Technical Report · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1976

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7291836· OSTI ID:7291836

Thompson, M C; Burney, G A; Hyder, M L

In initial operation of a new flowsheet for recovery of highly irradiated enriched uranium by solvent extraction with 7.5 vol percent tri-n-butyl phosphate, valence adjustment of plutonium and neptunium with ferrous sulfamate was ineffective; plutonium was not rejected as desired, and neptunium was partially lost to waste. Laboratory studies demonstrated that ferrous sulfamate, added to both the aqueous feed solution and the aqueous scrub stream in the first stage (IAS), was largely destroyed during the relatively long time between preparation and use of these solutions. Radiolysis destroyed the ferrous ion in the feed in a few hours, and nitric acid oxidized much of the ferrous ion in the scrub solution. To achieve the desired neptunium-plutonium separation in plant operation, the process flowsheet was modified as follows: ferrous sulfamate is added to the IAS stream immediately before it enters the mixer-settler, and ferrous fulfamate is not added to the feed solution where it would be destroyed by radiolysis.

• Research Organization: Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, S.C. (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7291836
• Report Number(s): DP-1396
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ACTINIDE COMPLEXES
ACTINIDES
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
COMPLEXES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ESTERS
EXTRACTION
FUELS
IRON COMPOUNDS
METALS
NEPTUNIUM
NUCLEAR FUELS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTERS
PLUTONIUM
REACTOR MATERIALS
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SPENT FUELS
TBP
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPLEXES
VALENCE