Molten salt extraction of transuranic and reactive fission products from used uranium oxide fuel

Herrmann, Steven Douglas

Title: Molten salt extraction of transuranic and reactive fission products from used uranium oxide fuel

Abstract

Used uranium oxide fuel is detoxified by extracting transuranic and reactive fission products into molten salt. By contacting declad and crushed used uranium oxide fuel with a molten halide salt containing a minor fraction of the respective uranium trihalide, transuranic and reactive fission products partition from the fuel to the molten salt phase, while uranium oxide and non-reactive, or noble metal, fission products remain in an insoluble solid phase. The salt is then separated from the fuel via draining and distillation. By this method, the bulk of the decay heat, fission poisoning capacity, and radiotoxicity are removed from the used fuel. The remaining radioactivity from the noble metal fission products in the detoxified fuel is primarily limited to soft beta emitters. The extracted transuranic and reactive fission products are amenable to existing technologies for group uranium/transuranic product recovery and fission product immobilization in engineered waste forms.

Inventors:: Herrmann, Steven Douglas

Issue Date:: 2014-05-27

Research Org.:: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1133050

Patent Number(s):: 8734738

Application Number:: 13/666,232; TRN: US1400435

Assignee:: U.S. Department of Energy (Washington, DC)

Patent Classifications (CPCs):: C - CHEMISTRY C22 - METALLURGY C22B - PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS

G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS

Show more

C - CHEMISTRY C22 - METALLURGY C22B - PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS
C22B59/00 - Obtaining rare earth metals
C22B60/0295 - {obtaining other actinides except plutonium}

G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS
G21C19/48 - Non-aqueous processes
G21C3/623 - {Oxide fuels}

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
Y02E30/30 - Nuclear fission reactors

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02W - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
Y02W30/50 - Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies

Show less

DOE Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517

Resource Type:: Patent

Resource Relation:: Patent File Date: 2012 Nov 01

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS

Citation Formats


                    Herrmann, Steven Douglas. Molten salt extraction of transuranic and reactive fission products from used uranium oxide fuel.  United States: N. p., 2014. 
        Web.

Copy to clipboard


                    Herrmann, Steven Douglas. Molten salt extraction of transuranic and reactive fission products from used uranium oxide fuel.  United States.

Copy to clipboard


                    Herrmann, Steven Douglas. Tue .  
        "Molten salt extraction of transuranic and reactive fission products from used uranium oxide fuel".  United States.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1133050.

Copy to clipboard


                    
@article{osti_1133050,

  title        = {Molten salt extraction of transuranic and reactive fission products from used uranium oxide fuel},

  author       = {Herrmann, Steven Douglas},

  abstractNote = {Used uranium oxide fuel is detoxified by extracting transuranic and reactive fission products into molten salt. By contacting declad and crushed used uranium oxide fuel with a molten halide salt containing a minor fraction of the respective uranium trihalide, transuranic and reactive fission products partition from the fuel to the molten salt phase, while uranium oxide and non-reactive, or noble metal, fission products remain in an insoluble solid phase. The salt is then separated from the fuel via draining and distillation. By this method, the bulk of the decay heat, fission poisoning capacity, and radiotoxicity are removed from the used fuel. The remaining radioactivity from the noble metal fission products in the detoxified fuel is primarily limited to soft beta emitters. The extracted transuranic and reactive fission products are amenable to existing technologies for group uranium/transuranic product recovery and fission product immobilization in engineered waste forms.},

  doi          = {},

  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2014},

  month        = {5}

}

Copy to clipboard

Patent:

Save / Share:

Export Metadata

Save to My Library

Works referenced in this record:

Separation of uranium from (Th,U)O.sub.2 solid solutions
patent, September 1976

Chiotti, Premo; Jha, Mahesh C.
US Patent Document 3,982,928
URL: https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/3982928

Process to separate transuranic elements from nuclear waste
patent, March 1989

Johnson, Terry R.; Ackerman, John P.; Tomczuk, Zygmunt
US Patent Document 4,814,046
URL: https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/4814046

Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel
patent, August 1992

Miller, William E.; Ackerman, John P.; Battles, James E.
US Patent Document 5,141,723
URL: https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/5141723

Similar Records in DOE Patents and OSTI.GOV collections:

Porous membrane electrochemical cell for uranium and transuranic recovery from molten salt electrolyte

Patent Willit, James L [Batavia, IL]

An improved process and device for the recovery of the minor actinides and the transuranic elements (TRU's) from a molten salt electrolyte. The process involves placing the device, an electrically non-conducting barrier between an anode salt and a cathode salt. The porous barrier allows uranium to diffuse between the anode and cathode, yet slows the diffusion of uranium ions so as to cause depletion of uranium ions in the catholyte. This allows for the eventual preferential deposition of transuranics present in spent nuclear fuel such as Np, Pu, Am, Cm. The device also comprises an uranium oxidation anode. The oxidationmore » « less
Full Text Available
Porous membrane electrochemical cell for uranium and transuranic recovery from molten salt electrolyte

Patent Willit, James L [Ratavia, IL]

An improved process and device for the recovery of the minor actinides and the transuranic elements (TRU's) from a molten salt electrolyte. The process involves placing the device, an electrically non-conducting barrier between an anode salt and a cathode salt. The porous barrier allows uranium to diffuse between the anode and cathode, yet slows the diffusion of uranium ions so as to cause depletion of uranium ions in the catholyte. This allows for the eventual preferential deposition of transuranics present in spent nuclear fuel such as Np, Pu, Am, Cm. The device also comprises an uranium oxidation anode. The oxidationmore » « less
Full Text Available
Molten salt extraction process for the recovery of valued transition metals from land-based and deep-sea minerals

Patent Maroni, Victor A [Naperville, IL]; von Winbush, Samuel [Huntington, NY]

A process for extracting transition metals and particularly cobalt and manganese together with iron, copper and nickel from low grade ores (including ocean-floor nodules) by converting the metal oxides or other compositions to chlorides in a molten salt, and subsequently using a combination of selective distillation at temperatures below about 500.degree. C., electrolysis at a voltage not more negative than about -1.5 volt versus Ag/AgCl, and precipitation to separate the desired manganese and cobalt salts from other metals and provide cobalt and manganese in metallic forms or compositions from which these metals may be more easily recovered.
Full Text Available
Low temperature oxidation using support molten salt catalysts

Patent Weimer, Alan W.; Czerpak, Peter J.; Hilbert, Patrick M.

Molten salt reactions are performed by supporting the molten salt on a particulate support and forming a fluidized bed of the supported salt particles. The method is particularly suitable for combusting hydrocarbon fuels at reduced temperatures, so that the formation NO.sub.x species is reduced. When certain preferred salts are used, such as alkali metal carbonates, sulfur and halide species can be captured by the molten salt, thereby reducing SO.sub.x and HCl emissions.
Full Text Available
Oxygen production by molten alkali metal salts using multiple absorption-desorption cycles

Patent Cassano, Anthony A [Allentown, PA]

A continuous chemical air separation is performed wherein oxygen is recovered with a molten alkali metal salt oxygen acceptor in a series of absorption zones which are connected to a plurality of desorption zones operated in separate parallel cycles with the absorption zones. A greater recovery of high pressure oxygen is achieved at reduced power requirements and capital costs.
Full Text Available

Similar Records

Title: Molten salt extraction of transuranic and reactive fission products from used uranium oxide fuel

Abstract

Citation Formats

Separation of uranium from (Th,U)O.sub.2 solid solutions patent, September 1976

Process to separate transuranic elements from nuclear waste patent, March 1989

Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel patent, August 1992

Separation of uranium from (Th,U)O.sub.2 solid solutions
patent, September 1976

Process to separate transuranic elements from nuclear waste
patent, March 1989

Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel
patent, August 1992