Dry halide method for separating the components of spent nuclear fuels
- Idaho Falls, ID
- Rigby, ID
The invention is a nonaqueous, single method for processing multiple spent nuclear fuel types by separating the fission- and transuranic products from the nonradioactive and fissile uranium product. The invention has four major operations: exposing the spent fuels to chlorine gas at temperatures preferably greater than 1200.degree. C. to form volatile metal chlorides; removal of the fission product chlorides, transuranic product chlorides, and any nickel chloride and chromium chloride in a molten salt scrubber at approximately 400.degree. C.; fractional condensation of the remaining volatile chlorides at temperatures ranging from 164.degree. C. to 2.degree. C.; and regeneration and recovery of the transferred spent molten salt by vacuum distillation. The residual fission products, transuranic products, and nickel- and chromium chlorides are converted to fluorides or oxides for vitrification. The method offers the significant advantages of a single, compact process that is applicable to most of the diverse nuclear fuels, minimizes secondary wastes, segregates fissile uranium from the high level wastes to resolve potential criticality concerns, segregates nonradioactive wastes from the high level wastes for volume reduction, and produces a common waste form glass or glass-ceramic.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-94ID13223
- Assignee:
- United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
- Patent Number(s):
- US 5774815
- OSTI ID:
- 871675
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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1200
164
400
advantages
applicable
approximately
chloride
chlorides
chlorine
chlorine gas
chromium
common
compact
components
concerns
condensation
converted
criticality
degree
distillation
diverse
dry
exposing
fissile
fission
fission product
fission products
fission-
fluorides
form
form volatile
fractional
fuel
fuels
gas
glass
glass-ceramic
halide
level
level waste
major
metal
metal chloride
metal chlorides
method
minimizes
molten
molten salt
multiple
nickel
nickel chloride
nickel-
nonaqueous
nonradioactive
nuclear
nuclear fuel
nuclear fuels
offers
operations
oxides
potential
preferably
process
processing
produces
product
products
radioactive waste
radioactive wastes
ranging
recovery
reduction
regeneration
remaining
removal
residual
resolve
salt
scrubber
secondary
secondary waste
secondary wastes
segregates
separating
significant
significant advantage
significant advantages
single
spent
spent fuel
spent fuels
spent molten
spent nuclear
temperatures
temperatures ranging
transferred
transuranic
types
uranium
uranium product
vacuum
vacuum distillation
vitrification
volatile
volatile metal
volume
volume reduction
waste
waste form
wastes