Salt transport extraction of transuranium elements from lwr fuel
- Naperville, IL
- Downers Grove, IL
- Oak Forest, IL
- Wheaton, IL
A process of separating transuranium actinide values from uranium values present in spent nuclear oxide fuels which contain rare earth and noble metal fission products. The oxide fuel is reduced with Ca metal in the presence of CaCl.sub.2 and a Cu--Mg alloy containing not less than about 25% by weight Mg at a temperature in the range of from about 750.degree. C. to about 850.degree. C. to precipitate uranium metal and some of the noble metal fission products leaving the Cu--Mg alloy having transuranium actinide metals and rare earth fission product metals and some of the noble metal fission products dissolved therein. The CaCl.sub.2 having CaO and fission products of alkali metals and the alkali earth metals and iodine dissolved therein is separated and electrolytically treated with a carbon electrode to reduce the CaO to Ca metal while converting the carbon electrode to CO and CO.sub.2. The Ca metal and CaCl.sub.2 is recycled to reduce additional oxide fuel. The Cu--Mg alloy having transuranium metals and rare earth fission product metals and the noble metal fission products dissolved therein is contacted with a transport salt including Mg Cl.sub.2 to transfer Mg values from the transport salt to the Cu--Mg alloy while transuranium actinide and rare earth fission product metals transfer from the Cu--Mg alloy to the transport salt. Then the transport salt is mixed with a Mg--Zn alloy to transfer Mg values from the alloy to the transport salt while the transuranium actinide and rare earth fission product values dissolved in the salt are reduced and transferred to the Mg--Zn alloy.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- Assignee:
- United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
- Patent Number(s):
- US 5160367
- OSTI ID:
- 868523
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Magnesium transport extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel
Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel
Related Subjects
25
750
850
actinide
actinide metal
actinide metals
actinide values
additional
alkali
alkali earth
alkali metal
alkali metals
alloy
alloy containing
cacl
cao
carbon
carbon electrode
contacted
contain
contain rare
containing
converting
cu--mg
degree
dissolved
dissolved therein
earth
earth fission
earth metal
earth metals
electrode
electrolytically
elements
extraction
fission
fission product
fission products
fuel
fuels
including
iodine
iodine dissolved
leaving
lwr
lwr fuel
metal
metal fission
metals
mg
mg--zn
mixed
noble
noble metal
nuclear
nuclear oxide
oxide
oxide fuel
oxide fuels
precipitate
presence
process
product
product metal
product metals
product values
products
range
rare
rare earth
recycled
reduce
reduced
salt
salt including
separated
separating
separating transuranium
spent
spent nuclear
temperature
therein
transfer
transferred
transport
transport extraction
transuranium
transuranium actinide
transuranium elements
treated
uranium
uranium metal
uranium values
values
weight