Spent nuclear fuel recycling with plasma reduction and etching
Abstract
A method of extracting uranium from spent nuclear fuel (SNF) particles is disclosed. Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) (containing oxides of uranium, oxides of fission products (FP) and oxides of transuranic (TRU) elements (including plutonium)) are subjected to a hydrogen plasma and a fluorine plasma. The hydrogen plasma reduces the uranium and plutonium oxides from their oxide state. The fluorine plasma etches the SNF metals to form UF6 and PuF4. During subjection of the SNF particles to the fluorine plasma, the temperature is maintained in the range of 1200-2000 deg K to: a) allow any PuF6 (gas) that is formed to decompose back to PuF4 (solid), and b) to maintain stability of the UF6. Uranium (in the form of gaseous UF6) is easily extracted and separated from the plutonium (in the form of solid PuF4). The use of plasmas instead of high temperature reactors or flames mitigates the high temperature corrosive atmosphere and the production of PuF6 (as a final product). Use of plasmas provide faster reaction rates, greater control over the individual electron and ion temperatures, and allow the use of CF4 or NF3 as the fluorine sources instead of F2 or HF.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1176447
- Patent Number(s):
- 8192704
- Application Number:
- 13/035,087
- Assignee:
- The United States of America as represented by the Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
C - CHEMISTRY C01 - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY C01G - COMPOUNDS CONTAINING METALS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C01D OR C01F
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 2011 Feb 25
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
Citation Formats
Kim, Yong Ho. Spent nuclear fuel recycling with plasma reduction and etching. United States: N. p., 2012.
Web.
Kim, Yong Ho. Spent nuclear fuel recycling with plasma reduction and etching. United States.
Kim, Yong Ho. Tue .
"Spent nuclear fuel recycling with plasma reduction and etching". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1176447.
@article{osti_1176447,
title = {Spent nuclear fuel recycling with plasma reduction and etching},
author = {Kim, Yong Ho},
abstractNote = {A method of extracting uranium from spent nuclear fuel (SNF) particles is disclosed. Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) (containing oxides of uranium, oxides of fission products (FP) and oxides of transuranic (TRU) elements (including plutonium)) are subjected to a hydrogen plasma and a fluorine plasma. The hydrogen plasma reduces the uranium and plutonium oxides from their oxide state. The fluorine plasma etches the SNF metals to form UF6 and PuF4. During subjection of the SNF particles to the fluorine plasma, the temperature is maintained in the range of 1200-2000 deg K to: a) allow any PuF6 (gas) that is formed to decompose back to PuF4 (solid), and b) to maintain stability of the UF6. Uranium (in the form of gaseous UF6) is easily extracted and separated from the plutonium (in the form of solid PuF4). The use of plasmas instead of high temperature reactors or flames mitigates the high temperature corrosive atmosphere and the production of PuF6 (as a final product). Use of plasmas provide faster reaction rates, greater control over the individual electron and ion temperatures, and allow the use of CF4 or NF3 as the fluorine sources instead of F2 or HF.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 05 00:00:00 EDT 2012},
month = {Tue Jun 05 00:00:00 EDT 2012}
}
Works referenced in this record:
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journal, September 2000
- Windarto, Hendri Firman; Matsumoto, Takeshi; Akatsuka, Hiroshi
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Etching of uranium oxide with a non-thermal, atmospheric pressure plasma
journal, January 2004
- Yang, X.; Moravej, M.; Babayan, S. E.
- Journal of Nuclear Materials, Vol. 324, Issue 2-3
Etching of UO2 in NF3 RF plasma glow discharge
journal, February 2000
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