Recycle Processes for Metal Fuels by Dissolution into Organic Solution
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RECYCLE PROCESSES FOR METAL FUELS BY DISSOLUTION INTO ORGANIC SOLUTION
Y.SANO, H.HAYAMI, C.MIYAKE and M.HORIE* Departmentof nuclearEngineering,Faculty of Engineering,Osaka University Yamadaoka 2-1, Suita, Osaka 565 Japan *PNC,Tokai-Mura, Ibaraki319-11 Japan
ABSTRACT The dissolution behavior of actinide and fission product metals into THF with 10 vol% Br2 was examined in this study. The solubilities of niobium, ruthenium, rhodium, zirconium and molybdenum in both aerated and nitrogenated THF solutions with 10 vol% Br 2 are negligible. On the other hand, the solubilities of lanthanum, neodymium, samarium and strontium in aerated and nitrogenated THF solutions with 10 vol% Br. are large. Among metals examined in this study, uranium had the largest solubility in nitrogenated THF with 10 vol% Brq and under this condition uranium will be separated from other metals. In the nitrogenated organic solution U(IV), U(V) and UO 2+(VI) coexist, while only UO +(VI) exists in the aerated organic solution. INTRODUCTION Metal fuels have favorable properties, such as better heat conductivity, but they need to develop the molten salt technology in the recycle process which produces a large amount of waste. Recently, a dissolution phenomenon of several metals into organic solutions was reported 1and the present authors suggested a possibility that these metals can be separated by the difference of solubility to the organic solutions 2. Actinides and fission products exist as a metallic state in spent metal fuels. Moreover except zirconium, they will be in a metallic state in spent nitride fuel if the nitrogen deficient condition is held. In this report the dissolution behavior of actinide and fission product metals into an organic material is studied and the possibility of separation by the solubility difference is examined.
EXPERIMENTAL Materials All specimens of metals used in this study were reagent grade. Uranium as a representative of actinide elements and lanthanum, neodymium, samarium, strontium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, ruthenium, rhodium and palladium were selected as fission product elements. Tetrahydrofuran (THF) with 10 vol% bromine was used as the organic solution. Specimens of each metal were put into this organic solution previously aerated or nitrogenated and the solution was shaken at 300C till the dissolution of the specimen reached saturation. Measurements The solubility of each metal was estimated from the weight loss of the specimen. To examine the oxidation state of the dissolved metal, electronic spectra in visible- near infrared region were recorded on a HITACHI EPS-3 auto spectrum photometer.
Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 353 01995 Materials Research Society
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