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.degree. 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:
-
- Naperville, IL
- Downers Grove, IL
- Oak Forest, IL
- Wheaton, IL
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 868439
- Patent Number(s):
- 5141723
- Assignee:
- United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
C - CHEMISTRY C22 - METALLURGY C22B - PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- uranium; chloride; extraction; transuranium; elements; lwr; fuel; process; separating; actinide; values; spent; nuclear; oxide; fuels; containing; rare; earth; noble; metal; fission; products; disclosed; reduced; presence; u-fe; alloy; liquid; 800; degree; dissolve; product; metals; leaving; cao; alkali; iodine; dissolved; therein; contained; separated; contacted; mixture; alkaline; halides; selected; consisting; halide; combination; transfer; salt; thereafter; reduced metal; alkali earth; uranium chloride; thereafter separating; fuels containing; metal halides; metal values; actinide values; dissolved therein; fission product; fission products; nuclear fuel; alkali metal; alkaline earth; oxide fuel; rare earth; metal halide; spent nuclear; noble metal; earth metal; contained therein; alkali metals; uranium metal; earth metals; earth fission; product metals; actinide metals; actinide metal; uranium values; transuranium actinide; halide salt; metal fission; metals dissolved; separating transuranium; transuranium elements; product metal; oxide fuels; nuclear oxide; containing rare; lwr fuel; iodine dissolved; /423/75/205/
Citation Formats
Miller, William E, Ackerman, John P, Battles, James E, Johnson, Terry R, and Pierce, R Dean. Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel. United States: N. p., 1992.
Web.
Miller, William E, Ackerman, John P, Battles, James E, Johnson, Terry R, & Pierce, R Dean. Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel. United States.
Miller, William E, Ackerman, John P, Battles, James E, Johnson, Terry R, and Pierce, R Dean. Wed .
"Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/868439.
@article{osti_868439,
title = {Uranium chloride extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel},
author = {Miller, William E and Ackerman, John P and Battles, James E and Johnson, Terry R and Pierce, R Dean},
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.degree. 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.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992},
month = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992}
}