Optimization of Flowsheet for Scrubbing of Ruthenium during the Reprocessing of Fast Reactor Spent Fuels

The solvent extraction method using tri-n-butyl phosphate diluted with heavy normal paraffin is being used as an extractant for the recovery of plutonium and uranium present in spent fuel discharged from a nuclear reactor. The purification of uranium and plutonium from the fission product ruthenium...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Separation science and technology 2013-11, Vol.48 (16), p.2494-2498
Main Authors: Natarajan, R., Dhamodharan, K., Sharma, Pradeep Kumar, Pugazhendi, S., Vijayakumar, V., Pandey, N. K., Rao, R. V. Subba
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Decontamination
decontamination factor
mixer settler
Nuclear reactors
Plutonium
Reprocessing
Ruthenium
ruthenium distribution ratio
Solvent extraction
spent fuel reprocessing
Spent fuels
Uranium
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Summary:The solvent extraction method using tri-n-butyl phosphate diluted with heavy normal paraffin is being used as an extractant for the recovery of plutonium and uranium present in spent fuel discharged from a nuclear reactor. The purification of uranium and plutonium from the fission product ruthenium is considered very important in the fast reactor fuel reprocessing process due to its complex chemistry. Systematic studies have been carried out in batch as well as countercurrent solvent extraction for optimization of parameters to get maximum decontamination factor for ruthenium. In dual scrubbing condition using 3 M and 6 M nitric acid with 60-70% uranium loading in organic phase, a decontamination factor of >10 3 for Ru is obtained in mixer-settler run.
ISSN:0149-6395
1520-5754
DOI:10.1080/01496395.2013.807828