Liquid centrifugation for nuclear waste partitioning
The performance of liquid centrifugation for nuclear waste partitioning is examined for the Accelerator Transmutation of Waste Program currently under study at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Centrifugation might have application for the separation of the LiF-BeF{sub 2} salt from heavier radioactive materials fission product and actinides in the separation of fission product from actinides, in the isotope separation of fission-product cesium before transmutation of the {sup 137}Cs and {sup 135}Cs, and in the removal of spallation product from the liquid lead target. It is found that useful chemical separations should be possible using existing materials for the centrifuge construction for all four cases with the actinide fraction in fission product perhaps as low as 1 part in 10{sup 7} and the fraction of {sup 137}CS in {sup 133}Cs being as low as a few parts in 10{sup 5}. A centrifuge cascade has the advantage that it can be assembled and operated as a completely closed system without a waste stream except that associated with maintenance or replacement of centrifuge components.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10176356
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-92-1065; ON: DE93000342
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 11 Mar 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
CENTRIFUGATION
TRANSMUTATION
ACTINIDES
FISSION PRODUCTS
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CENTRIFUGES
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
LEAD
LITHIUM FLUORIDES
BERYLLIUM FLUORIDES
052001
400703
WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOISOTOPE PRODUCTION