PYROCHEMICAL DECONTAMINATION METHOD FOR REACTOR FUEL
Abstract
A pyro-chemical method is presented for decontaminating neutron irradiated uranium and separating plutonium therefrom by contact in the molten state with a metal chloride salt. Uranium trichloride and uranium tetrachloride either alone or in admixture with alkaline metal and alkaline eanth metal fluorides under specified temperature and specified phase ratio conditions extract substantially all of the uranium from the irradiated uranium fuel together with certain fission products. The phases are then separated leaving purified uranium metal. The uranium and plutonium in the salt phase can be reduced to forin a highly decontaminated uraniumplutonium alloy. The present method possesses advantages for economically decontaminating irradiated nuclear fuel elements since irradiated fuel may be proccessed immediately after withdrawal from the reactor and the uranium need not be dissolved and later reduced to the metallic form. Accordingly, the uranium may be economically refabricated and reinserted into the reactor.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- OSTI Identifier:
- 4205966
- Patent Number(s):
- 2892701
- Assignee:
- U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
C - CHEMISTRY C22 - METALLURGY C22B - PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS
- NSA Number:
- NSA-13-022170
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-59
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- CHEMISTRY; ALKALI METALS; ALKALINE EARTH METALS; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; CHLORIDES; COMPOUNDS; DECONTAMINATION; ECONOMICS; FISSION PRODUCTS; FLUORIDES; FUELS; FUSED SALTS; HIGH TEMPERATURE; IMPURITIES; IRRADIATION; MELTING; METALS; MIXING; NEUTRON BEAMS; PATENT; PERFORMANCE; PHASE DIAGRAMS; PLUTONIUM; PYROLYSIS; REDUCTION; REFINING; REPROCESSING; SEPARATION PROCESSES; SOLUTIONS; TEMPERATURE; URANIUM; URANIUM CHLORIDES
Citation Formats
Buyers, A G. PYROCHEMICAL DECONTAMINATION METHOD FOR REACTOR FUEL. United States: N. p., 1959.
Web.
Buyers, A G. PYROCHEMICAL DECONTAMINATION METHOD FOR REACTOR FUEL. United States.
Buyers, A G. Tue .
"PYROCHEMICAL DECONTAMINATION METHOD FOR REACTOR FUEL". United States.
@article{osti_4205966,
title = {PYROCHEMICAL DECONTAMINATION METHOD FOR REACTOR FUEL},
author = {Buyers, A G},
abstractNote = {A pyro-chemical method is presented for decontaminating neutron irradiated uranium and separating plutonium therefrom by contact in the molten state with a metal chloride salt. Uranium trichloride and uranium tetrachloride either alone or in admixture with alkaline metal and alkaline eanth metal fluorides under specified temperature and specified phase ratio conditions extract substantially all of the uranium from the irradiated uranium fuel together with certain fission products. The phases are then separated leaving purified uranium metal. The uranium and plutonium in the salt phase can be reduced to forin a highly decontaminated uraniumplutonium alloy. The present method possesses advantages for economically decontaminating irradiated nuclear fuel elements since irradiated fuel may be proccessed immediately after withdrawal from the reactor and the uranium need not be dissolved and later reduced to the metallic form. Accordingly, the uranium may be economically refabricated and reinserted into the reactor.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {1959},
month = {6}
}