GB2254955A - Spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process. - Google Patents
Spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process. Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2254955A GB2254955A GB9108198A GB9108198A GB2254955A GB 2254955 A GB2254955 A GB 2254955A GB 9108198 A GB9108198 A GB 9108198A GB 9108198 A GB9108198 A GB 9108198A GB 2254955 A GB2254955 A GB 2254955A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- nitric acid
- nitrogen oxides
- nuclear fuel
- reprocessing
- spent nuclear
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21F—PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT; TREATING RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED MATERIAL; DECONTAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS THEREFOR
- G21F9/00—Treating radioactively contaminated material; Decontamination arrangements therefor
- G21F9/04—Treating liquids
- G21F9/06—Processing
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
- Treating Waste Gases (AREA)
- Treatment Of Water By Oxidation Or Reduction (AREA)
Abstract
Nitrogen oxides used for desorbing iodine and oxidizing plutonium in a process for spent nuclear fuel reprocessing are prepared by electrolysis of nitric acid. Waste nitric acid recovered from the main reprocessing system is reused as the feed for the nitrogen oxides preparation. It is not necessary to supply nitric acid and sodium nitrite for preparing the nitrogen oxides from outside of the system, and the quantity of the liquid waste to be treated is reduced. <IMAGE>
Description
SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL REPROCESSING PROCESS
The present invention concerns a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process in which the quantity of the wastes is decreased.
For the purpose of reprocessing the spent nuclear fuel, the process shown in Figures 2 and 3 is generally applied. During the reprocessing process, uranium and plutonium are separated from fission products and purified in the main reprocessing system 1, and then the liquid waste generated in the main reprocessing system 1 is treated by the liquid waste treatment system 3.
In the main step 1 nitrogen oxides (NOx) 4 are fed from the outside of the system to desorb iodine in the head-end and oxidizing plutonium in the Pu-purification.
The nitrogen oxides 4 are prepared by mixing nitric acid and sodium nitrite in the nitrogen oxides preparation system 5 (hereinafter referred to "NOx preparation system").
The nitrogen oxides 4 used in the steps of desorbing iodine and purifying plutonium are finally oxidized in the main reprocessing system 1 to form nitric acid, and then the nitric acid thus formed is transferred to the liquid waste treatment system 3 for being treated.
The above described conventional process for reprocessing the spent nuclear fuel includes the following problems: 1. It is necessary to always supply nitric acid and
sodium nitrite for preparation of NOx from the outside of
the system.
2. Nitric acid of the amount equal to the amount of the
nitric acid supplied to the system is exhausted from the
main reprocessing system, and therefore, the quantity of
the liquid waste to be treated is large.
The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a nuclear fuel reprocessing process in which the quantity of the supplied nitric acid is minimized, consumption of sodium nitrite is unnecessary and the quantity of the liquid waste to be treated is reduced.
The nuclear fuel reprocessing process according to the present invention is a process, which comprises a main reprocessing system and a NOx preparation system, characterized in that NOx for desorbing iodine and oxidizing plutonium are prepared by electrolysis-digestion of nitric acid, and that waste nitric acid generated and recovered at the main reprocessing system is recycled to the NOx preparation system as a feed material.
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the scheme of the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the scheme of the conventional spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process.
Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the details of Fig.
2.
As shown in Fig. 1, the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process according to the present invention comprises a main reprocessing system 1 and a NOx preparation system 6, the latter system supplying nitrogen oxides to the former system, and is characterized in that the waste nitric acid recovered at the main reprocessing system 1 is electrolized to form nitrogen oxides and that the formed nitrogen oxides are recycled to the main reprocessing system 1.
At the begining of operation of the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing for purifying uranium and plutonium, a certain amount of nitric acid is supplied to the NOx preparation system 6 and the supplied nitric acid is electtolized. Nitrogen oxides prepared by the electrolysis are then used, as shown in Fig. 3, for iodine desorbing and plutonium oxidizing in the main reprocessing system 1.
Waste nitric acid generated and recovered in this system is transferred to the NOx preparation system 6 as nitric acid supply 8. The nitric acid supply is electrolized at the
NOx preparation system to form the nitrogen oxides, which are returned to the main reprocessing system 1.
Thus, in the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process according to the present invention the waste nitric acid recovered at the main reprocessing system is used as the material for preparing nitrogen oxides, and therefore, it is not necessary to prepare nitrogen oxides used for iodine desorption and plutonium oxidation by supplying nitric acid and sodium nitrite as was done in the conventional spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process.
As the results, the quantity of the nitric acid to be supplied to the process decreases to substantially nil. Of course no sodium nitrite is consumed. Thus, the quantity of the waste matters of low level radioactivity remarkably decreases.
These effects contribute to cost reduction in operation of the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant.
Claims (1)
- CLAIM:A spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process which comprises a main reprocessing system and a nitrogen oxides preparation system, characterized in that nitrogen oxides for desorbing iodine and oxidizing plutonium are prepared by electrolysis-digestion of nitric acid, and that waste nitric acid generated and recovered at the main reprocessing system is recycled to the nitrogen oxides preparation system as a feed material.
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR9104634A FR2675617B1 (en) | 1991-04-17 | 1991-04-16 | PROCESS FOR THE RE-TREATMENT OF USED NUCLEAR FUELS. |
| GB9108198A GB2254955A (en) | 1991-04-17 | 1991-04-17 | Spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process. |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9108198A GB2254955A (en) | 1991-04-17 | 1991-04-17 | Spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process. |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9108198D0 GB9108198D0 (en) | 1991-06-05 |
| GB2254955A true GB2254955A (en) | 1992-10-21 |
Family
ID=10693440
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9108198A Withdrawn GB2254955A (en) | 1991-04-17 | 1991-04-17 | Spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process. |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| FR (1) | FR2675617B1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2254955A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN106884098A (en) * | 2015-12-15 | 2017-06-23 | 中核四○四有限公司 | A kind of system and method for the price adjustment of feed liquid containing plutonium |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN104328291B (en) * | 2014-10-20 | 2016-01-27 | 中国原子能科学研究院 | A kind of oxidation price modification equipment Pu (III) being oxidizing to Pu (IV) |
Family Cites Families (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2277415A1 (en) * | 1974-07-03 | 1976-01-30 | Commissariat Energie Atomique | PROCESS FOR THE EXTRACTION, TRAPPING AND STORAGE OF RADIOACTIVE IODINE CONTAINED IN IRRADIED NUCLEAR FUELS |
| DE2711368A1 (en) * | 1977-03-16 | 1978-09-21 | Hoechst Ag | PROCEDURE FOR CONTAINING VOLATILE RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES ARISING FROM THE PROCESSING OF NUCLEAR FUEL |
| DE2951339C2 (en) * | 1979-12-20 | 1985-11-21 | Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe Gmbh, 7500 Karlsruhe | Process for desorbing fission iodine from nitric acid fuel solution |
| JP2525064B2 (en) * | 1990-03-06 | 1996-08-14 | 日揮株式会社 | Nuclear fuel reprocessing method |
-
1991
- 1991-04-16 FR FR9104634A patent/FR2675617B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1991-04-17 GB GB9108198A patent/GB2254955A/en not_active Withdrawn
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN106884098A (en) * | 2015-12-15 | 2017-06-23 | 中核四○四有限公司 | A kind of system and method for the price adjustment of feed liquid containing plutonium |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2675617A1 (en) | 1992-10-23 |
| GB9108198D0 (en) | 1991-06-05 |
| FR2675617B1 (en) | 1995-04-07 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| JP5489124B2 (en) | Waste resin treatment method and treatment system for nuclear power plant | |
| US7172741B2 (en) | Method for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel | |
| DE1215669B (en) | Process for processing irradiated nuclear reactor fuel | |
| EP0257192B1 (en) | Method of treating radioactive ion-exchange resins by oxidative decomposition | |
| US5217585A (en) | Transition metal decontamination process | |
| JP3524743B2 (en) | Reprocessing of spent LWR fuel | |
| JPH0721556B2 (en) | Method for melting and solidifying glass of radioactive waste liquid with suppressed formation of gaseous ruthenium | |
| Poe et al. | Np237 and Pu238 Separation at the Savannah River Plant | |
| GB2254955A (en) | Spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process. | |
| US5439562A (en) | Electrochemical decontamination of radioactive metals by alkaline processing | |
| US5096545A (en) | Plutonium recovery from spent reactor fuel by uranium displacement | |
| US20040254417A1 (en) | Method and installation for the treatment of a radioactive wastes | |
| US5147616A (en) | Magnesium transport extraction of transuranium elements from LWR fuel | |
| JP2525064B2 (en) | Nuclear fuel reprocessing method | |
| JP2731299B2 (en) | Volume reduction method for low-level concentrated waste liquid | |
| JP2556221B2 (en) | Oxidation method of trivalent plutonium to tetravalent plutonium | |
| KR20040068901A (en) | Method of Disposal of the Wasted Catalyst including Depleted Uranium | |
| JPH0149919B2 (en) | ||
| JP7273682B2 (en) | Alpha nuclide removal system | |
| JP7178322B2 (en) | Radioactive waste liquid treatment method and radioactive waste liquid treatment system | |
| JP7284722B2 (en) | Treatment method of radioactive liquid waste | |
| JPS63184100A (en) | Processing method of radioactive ion exchange resin | |
| Tober | Concentration and purification of uranium, plutonium, and neptunium by ion exchange in nuclearly safe equipment | |
| GB1574874A (en) | Method for increasing the lifetime of an extraction medium used for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and/or breeder materials | |
| JP2728335B2 (en) | Decomposition method of organic matter in radioactive liquid waste |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |