Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel
Abstract
A process of separating transuranium actinide values from uranium values present in spent nuclear oxide fuels containing rare earth and noble metal fission products as well as other fission products is disclosed. The oxide fuel is reduced with Ca metal in the presence of Ca chloride and a U-Fe alloy which is liquid at about 800 C to dissolve uranium metal and the noble metal fission product metals and transuranium actinide metals and rare earth fission product metals leaving Ca chloride having CaO and fission products of alkali metals and the alkali earth metals and iodine dissolved therein. The Ca chloride and CaO and the fission products contained therein are separated from the U-Fe alloy and the metal values dissolved therein. The U-Fe alloy having dissolved therein reduced metals from the spent nuclear fuel is contacted with a mixture of one or more alkali metal or alkaline earth metal halides selected from the class consisting of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal and Fe or U halide or a combination thereof to transfer transuranium actinide metals and rare earth metals to the halide salt leaving the uranium and some noble metal fission products in the U-Fe alloy and thereafter separatingmore »
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- OSTI Identifier:
- 7066406
- Patent Number(s):
- 5141723
- Application Number:
- PPN: US 7-770386
- Assignee:
- Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 3 Oct 1991
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; SPENT FUELS; REPROCESSING; TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS; SEPARATION PROCESSES; URANIUM; MATERIALS RECOVERY; CALCIUM CHLORIDES; DISSOLUTION; REDUCTION; URANIUM OXIDES; ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS; ACTINIDES; ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS; CALCIUM COMPOUNDS; CALCIUM HALIDES; CHALCOGENIDES; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; CHLORIDES; CHLORINE COMPOUNDS; ELEMENTS; ENERGY SOURCES; FUELS; HALIDES; HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; MANAGEMENT; MATERIALS; METALS; NUCLEAR FUELS; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PROCESSING; REACTOR MATERIALS; URANIUM COMPOUNDS; WASTE MANAGEMENT; WASTE PROCESSING; 050800* - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
Citation Formats
Miller, W E, Ackerman, J P, Battles, J E, Johnson, T R, and Pierce, R D. Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel. United States: N. p., 1992.
Web.
Miller, W E, Ackerman, J P, Battles, J E, Johnson, T R, & Pierce, R D. Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel. United States.
Miller, W E, Ackerman, J P, Battles, J E, Johnson, T R, and Pierce, R D. Tue .
"Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel". United States.
@article{osti_7066406,
title = {Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel},
author = {Miller, W E and Ackerman, J P and Battles, J E and Johnson, T R and Pierce, R D},
abstractNote = {A process of separating transuranium actinide values from uranium values present in spent nuclear oxide fuels containing rare earth and noble metal fission products as well as other fission products is disclosed. The oxide fuel is reduced with Ca metal in the presence of Ca chloride and a U-Fe alloy which is liquid at about 800 C to dissolve uranium metal and the noble metal fission product metals and transuranium actinide metals and rare earth fission product metals leaving Ca chloride having CaO and fission products of alkali metals and the alkali earth metals and iodine dissolved therein. The Ca chloride and CaO and the fission products contained therein are separated from the U-Fe alloy and the metal values dissolved therein. The U-Fe alloy having dissolved therein reduced metals from the spent nuclear fuel is contacted with a mixture of one or more alkali metal or alkaline earth metal halides selected from the class consisting of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal and Fe or U halide or a combination thereof to transfer transuranium actinide metals and rare earth metals to the halide salt leaving the uranium and some noble metal fission products in the U-Fe alloy and thereafter separating the halide salt and the transuranium metals dissolved therein from the U-Fe alloy and the metals dissolved therein. 1 figure.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 1992},
month = {Tue Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 1992}
}