Separation and Recovery of Uranium and Group Actinide Products From Irradiated Fast Reactor MOX Fuel via Electrolytic Reduction and Electrorefining

Steven D. Herrmann; Shelly X. Li; Brian R. Westphal

doi:10.1080/01496395.2012.697511

Separation and Recovery of Uranium and Group Actinide Products From Irradiated Fast Reactor MOX Fuel via Electrolytic Reduction and Electrorefining

Steven D. Herrmann
, Shelly X. Li
, Brian R. Westphal

Fuel Cycle Science & Technology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

A series of bench-scale tests was conducted with irradiated fast reactor MOX fuel to separate and recover refined uranium and group actinide products via electrolytic reduction and electrorefining. The fuel was declad, crushed, immersed in a pool of molten LiCl -1 wt% Li ₂O at 650°C, and electrolyzed to convert the mixed oxide fuel to metal. The reduced fuel was then electrorefined in LiCl-KCl-UCl ₃ at 500°C, yielding a refined uranium metal product. Additional electrorefining experiments were performed in which actinides (that is, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, and americium) were recovered as a group metal product.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2044-2059
Number of pages	16
Journal	Separation Science and Technology (Philadelphia)
Volume	47
Issue number	14-15
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/01496395.2012.697511
State	Published - Jan 2012

Keywords

LiCl-KCl-UCl
LiCl-Li O
actinide recovery
electrolytic reduction
electrorefining
fast reactor mox fuel

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10.1080/01496395.2012.697511

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@article{b95255b8c227461f971ae958c9bc6a99,

title = "Separation and Recovery of Uranium and Group Actinide Products From Irradiated Fast Reactor MOX Fuel via Electrolytic Reduction and Electrorefining",

abstract = "A series of bench-scale tests was conducted with irradiated fast reactor MOX fuel to separate and recover refined uranium and group actinide products via electrolytic reduction and electrorefining. The fuel was declad, crushed, immersed in a pool of molten LiCl -1 wt\% Li 2O at 650°C, and electrolyzed to convert the mixed oxide fuel to metal. The reduced fuel was then electrorefined in LiCl-KCl-UCl 3 at 500°C, yielding a refined uranium metal product. Additional electrorefining experiments were performed in which actinides (that is, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, and americium) were recovered as a group metal product.",

keywords = "LiCl-KCl-UCl, LiCl-Li O, actinide recovery, electrolytic reduction, electrorefining, fast reactor mox fuel",

author = "Herrmann, \{Steven D.\} and Li, \{Shelly X.\} and Westphal, \{Brian R.\}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors acknowledge the contribution of HFEF operators and analytical laboratory personnel to this testing program. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy, under DOE Idaho Operations Office contract DE-AC07-05ID14517.",

year = "2012",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1080/01496395.2012.697511",

language = "English",

volume = "47",

pages = "2044--2059",

journal = "Separation Science and Technology (Philadelphia)",

issn = "0149-6395",

publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",

number = "14-15",

}

Separation and Recovery of Uranium and Group Actinide Products From Irradiated Fast Reactor MOX Fuel via Electrolytic Reduction and Electrorefining. / Herrmann, Steven D.; Li, Shelly X.; Westphal, Brian R.
In: Separation Science and Technology (Philadelphia), Vol. 47, No. 14-15, 01.2012, p. 2044-2059.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Separation and Recovery of Uranium and Group Actinide Products From Irradiated Fast Reactor MOX Fuel via Electrolytic Reduction and Electrorefining

AU - Herrmann, Steven D.

AU - Li, Shelly X.

AU - Westphal, Brian R.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors acknowledge the contribution of HFEF operators and analytical laboratory personnel to this testing program. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy, under DOE Idaho Operations Office contract DE-AC07-05ID14517.

PY - 2012/1

Y1 - 2012/1

N2 - A series of bench-scale tests was conducted with irradiated fast reactor MOX fuel to separate and recover refined uranium and group actinide products via electrolytic reduction and electrorefining. The fuel was declad, crushed, immersed in a pool of molten LiCl -1 wt% Li 2O at 650°C, and electrolyzed to convert the mixed oxide fuel to metal. The reduced fuel was then electrorefined in LiCl-KCl-UCl 3 at 500°C, yielding a refined uranium metal product. Additional electrorefining experiments were performed in which actinides (that is, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, and americium) were recovered as a group metal product.

AB - A series of bench-scale tests was conducted with irradiated fast reactor MOX fuel to separate and recover refined uranium and group actinide products via electrolytic reduction and electrorefining. The fuel was declad, crushed, immersed in a pool of molten LiCl -1 wt% Li 2O at 650°C, and electrolyzed to convert the mixed oxide fuel to metal. The reduced fuel was then electrorefined in LiCl-KCl-UCl 3 at 500°C, yielding a refined uranium metal product. Additional electrorefining experiments were performed in which actinides (that is, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, and americium) were recovered as a group metal product.

KW - LiCl-KCl-UCl

KW - LiCl-Li O

KW - actinide recovery

KW - electrolytic reduction

KW - electrorefining

KW - fast reactor mox fuel

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84868559963

U2 - 10.1080/01496395.2012.697511

DO - 10.1080/01496395.2012.697511

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84868559963

SN - 0149-6395

VL - 47

SP - 2044

EP - 2059

JO - Separation Science and Technology (Philadelphia)

JF - Separation Science and Technology (Philadelphia)

IS - 14-15

ER -

Separation and Recovery of Uranium and Group Actinide Products From Irradiated Fast Reactor MOX Fuel via Electrolytic Reduction and Electrorefining

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Keywords

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