Dry halide method for separating the components of spent nuclear

Details Dry halide method for separating the components of spent nuclear Dry halide method for separating the components of spent nuclear

1996-08-13

1998-06-30

Mai, Ngoclan

Hazardous or toxic waste destruction or containment

Destruction or containment of radioactive waste

Chemical conversion to a stable solid for disposal

95 42, 588 19, G21F 900

Patent

active

057748152

ABSTRACT:
The invention is a nonaqueous, single method for processing multiple spent nuclear fuel types by separating the fission- and transuranic products from the nonradioactive and fissile uranium product. The invention has four major operations: exposing the spent fuels to chlorine gas at temperatures preferably greater than 1200.degree. C. to form volatile metal chlorides; removal of the fission product chlorides, transuranic product chlorides, and any nickel chloride and chromium chloride in a molten salt scrubber at approximately 400.degree. C.; fractional condensation of the remaining volatile chlorides at temperatures ranging from 164.degree. C. to 2.degree. C.; and regeneration and recovery of the transferred spent molten salt by vacuum distillation. The residual fission products, transuranic products, and nickel- and chromium chlorides are converted to fluorides or oxides for vitrification. The method offers the significant advantages of a single, compact process that is applicable to most of the diverse nuclear fuels, minimizes secondary wastes, segregates fissile uranium from the high level wastes to resolve potential criticality concerns, segregates nonradioactive wastes from the high level wastes for volume reduction, and produces a common waste form glass or glass-ceramic.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4952339 (1990-08-01), Temus et al.
patent: 5202100 (1993-04-01), Nagel
patent: 5252258 (1993-10-01), Ohtsuka et al.
patent: 5336450 (1994-08-01), Ackerman et al.
patent: 5424042 (1995-06-01), Bradley
A Dry Chloride Volatility Concept for Processing Spent Nuclear Fuels, Jerry D. Christian, Thomas R. Thomas and Glen F. Kessinger--Aug. 14-18 1994 15 pages.

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