Pyroprocess for processing spent nuclear fuel

Patent · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2002

OSTI ID:874793

Miller, William E ^[1]; Tomczuk, Zygmunt ^[2]

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1. Naperville, IL
2. Lockport, IL

This is a pyroprocess for processing spent nuclear fuel. The spent nuclear fuel is chopped into pieces and placed in a basket which is lowered in to a liquid salt solution. The salt is rich in ZrF.sub.4 and containing alkali or alkaline earth fluorides, and in particular, the salt chosen was LiF-50 mol % ZrF.sub.4 with a eutectic melting point of 500.degree. C. Prior to lowering the basket, the salt is heated to a temperature of between 550.degree. C. and 700.degree. C. in order to obtain a molten solution. After dissolution the oxides of U, Th, rare earth and other like oxides, the salt bath solution is subject to hydro-fluorination to remove the oxygen and then to a fluorination step to remove U as gaseous UF.sub.6. In addition, after dissolution, the basket contains PuO.sub.2 and undissolved parts of the fuel rods, and the basket and its contents are processed to remove the Pu.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 6461576
• OSTI ID: 874793
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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