Recovery of UO[sub 2]/PuO[sub 2] in IFR electrorefining process
Abstract
A process is described for converting PuO[sub 2] and UO[sub 2] present in an electrorefiner to the chlorides, by contacting the PuO[sub 2] and UO[sub 2] with Li metal in the presence of an alkali metal chloride salt substantially free of rare earth and actinide chlorides for a time and at a temperature sufficient to convert the UO[sub 2] and PuO[sub 2] to metals while converting Li metal to Li[sub 2]O. Li[sub 2]O is removed either by reducing with rare earth metals or by providing an oxygen electrode for transporting O[sub 2] out of the electrorefiner and a cathode, and thereafter applying an emf to the electrorefiner electrodes sufficient to cause the Li[sub 2]O to disassociate to O[sub 2] and Li metal but insufficient to decompose the alkali metal chloride salt. The U and Pu and excess lithium are then converted to chlorides by reaction with CdCl[sub 2].
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- OSTI Identifier:
- 6898492
- Patent Number(s):
- 5356605
- Application Number:
- PPN: US 7-967652
- Assignee:
- Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 28 Oct 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE; CHLORINATION; ELECTROREFINING; REDUCTION; URANIUM DIOXIDE; CADMIUM CHLORIDES; LITHIUM; LITHIUM OXIDES; PLUTONIUM CHLORIDES; URANIUM CHLORIDES; ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS; ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS; ALKALI METALS; CADMIUM COMPOUNDS; CADMIUM HALIDES; CHALCOGENIDES; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; CHLORIDES; CHLORINE COMPOUNDS; ELECTROLYSIS; ELEMENTS; HALIDES; HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; HALOGENATION; LITHIUM COMPOUNDS; LYSIS; METALS; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS; PLUTONIUM OXIDES; PROCESSING; REFINING; TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS; URANIUM COMPOUNDS; URANIUM OXIDES; 050400* - Nuclear Fuels- Feed Processing
Citation Formats
Tomczuk, Z, and Miller, W E. Recovery of UO[sub 2]/PuO[sub 2] in IFR electrorefining process. United States: N. p., 1994.
Web.
Tomczuk, Z, & Miller, W E. Recovery of UO[sub 2]/PuO[sub 2] in IFR electrorefining process. United States.
Tomczuk, Z, and Miller, W E. Tue .
"Recovery of UO[sub 2]/PuO[sub 2] in IFR electrorefining process". United States.
@article{osti_6898492,
title = {Recovery of UO[sub 2]/PuO[sub 2] in IFR electrorefining process},
author = {Tomczuk, Z and Miller, W E},
abstractNote = {A process is described for converting PuO[sub 2] and UO[sub 2] present in an electrorefiner to the chlorides, by contacting the PuO[sub 2] and UO[sub 2] with Li metal in the presence of an alkali metal chloride salt substantially free of rare earth and actinide chlorides for a time and at a temperature sufficient to convert the UO[sub 2] and PuO[sub 2] to metals while converting Li metal to Li[sub 2]O. Li[sub 2]O is removed either by reducing with rare earth metals or by providing an oxygen electrode for transporting O[sub 2] out of the electrorefiner and a cathode, and thereafter applying an emf to the electrorefiner electrodes sufficient to cause the Li[sub 2]O to disassociate to O[sub 2] and Li metal but insufficient to decompose the alkali metal chloride salt. The U and Pu and excess lithium are then converted to chlorides by reaction with CdCl[sub 2].},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Oct 18 00:00:00 EDT 1994},
month = {Tue Oct 18 00:00:00 EDT 1994}
}