Radiochemical and chemical characterization of fuel, salt, and deposit from the electrorefining of irradiated U-6 wt% Zr in hot cells
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Dwarapudi Bola Sankar
Abstract
Metal fuels are considered as the promising candidates for future fast breeder reactors. Pyro-chemical reprocessing is the ideal method for reprocessing spent metallic fuels due to the inherent process advantages. Electrorefining run was demonstrated in a hot cell facility with irradiated U-6 wt% Zr alloy at 500 °C using LiCl–KCl eutectic melt. In order to understand the behavior of the actinides and various fission products during high-temperature electrolysis, various process streams, viz., irradiated metal alloy fuel, the eutectic salt, and the cathode deposit were analyzed for the uranium, plutonium, and other fission product contents. Various methods employed for characterizing the process streams and the behaviors of some of the fission products during the electrolysis process are highlighted. The major gamma emitting radionuclides present in the irradiated fuel were 106Ru, 125Sb, 134Cs, 137Cs, 144Ce, and 154Eu. During electrorefining, cesium, cerium and europium were oxidized and dissolved in the molten media, whereas ruthenium and antimony remained in the anode basket. A minor contamination of zirconium was found in the cathode deposit.
Acknowledgments
The authors hereby acknowledge with thanks Dr. N.Sivaraman, Director, MC&MFCG, Dr. Kitheri Joseph, AD, MFRG, Dr. Suddhasatwa Ghosh, Head, MFPD, T.V. Prabhu, Head, CFED, Dr. N. Ramanathan, FChD for their participation and support rendered throughout the course of this work. The authors also thank V. Suresh Kumar, J. Prabhakar Rao of CFED, MC&MFCG, P. Venkatesh and Dr. Manish Chandra of PPED, MC&MFCG.
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Research ethics: Not Applicable.
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Author contributions: D. Bola Sankar: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – Original draft; S. Rajeswari: Writing – Review & Editing; T. Kalaiyarasu: Resources; Gurudas Pakhui: Writing – Review & Editing; J.S. Brahmaji Rao: Experimental Support; Suranjan Bera: Experimental Support; B. Sreenivasulu: Experimental Support; R. Kumaresan: Writing – Review & Editing, Validation; P. Manoravi: Resources; V. Jayaraman: Writing – Review & Editing, Validation; All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: Not Applicable.
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Data availability: The authors do not have the permission to share the data.
References
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© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Preface
- NUCAR-2023: Foreword
- Research Articles
- Theoretical analysis of light and heavy-ion induced reactions: production of medically relevant 97Ru
- Excitation functions of alpha-particle induced nuclear reactions on nat Sn
- Non-destructive assay of plutonium in absence of gamma-ray spectrometry
- Catalytic destruction of oxalate in the supernatant stream generated during plutonium reconversion process
- Quantification of Zr in simulated dissolver solution of U–Zr fuel by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
- Radiochemical and chemical characterization of fuel, salt, and deposit from the electrorefining of irradiated U-6 wt% Zr in hot cells
- Zirconium sponge production: an integrated approach for chemical characterization of process intermediates using ICP-OES
- Determination of 10B/11B in boric acid and B4C using LA-ICPMS
- Evaluating sustainability of Bhuj aquifer system, Western India using nuclear dating techniques
- Nanocrystalline Ce(OH)4-based materials: ruthenium selective adsorbent for highly alkaline radioactive liquid waste
- Production and radiochemical separation of 68Ge from irradiated Ga–Ni alloy target in 30 MeV cyclotron
- Preparation of [64Cu]Cu–NOTA complex as a potential renal PET imaging agent using 64Cu produced via the direct activation route
- Total chemical synthesis of PSMA-617: an API for prostate cancer endotherapeutic applications
- Rapid screening technique for gross α and gross β estimations in aqueous samples during radiation emergency
- Development of Dy3+ doped lithium magnesium borate glass system for thermoluminescence based neutron dosimetry applications
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Preface
- NUCAR-2023: Foreword
- Research Articles
- Theoretical analysis of light and heavy-ion induced reactions: production of medically relevant 97Ru
- Excitation functions of alpha-particle induced nuclear reactions on nat Sn
- Non-destructive assay of plutonium in absence of gamma-ray spectrometry
- Catalytic destruction of oxalate in the supernatant stream generated during plutonium reconversion process
- Quantification of Zr in simulated dissolver solution of U–Zr fuel by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
- Radiochemical and chemical characterization of fuel, salt, and deposit from the electrorefining of irradiated U-6 wt% Zr in hot cells
- Zirconium sponge production: an integrated approach for chemical characterization of process intermediates using ICP-OES
- Determination of 10B/11B in boric acid and B4C using LA-ICPMS
- Evaluating sustainability of Bhuj aquifer system, Western India using nuclear dating techniques
- Nanocrystalline Ce(OH)4-based materials: ruthenium selective adsorbent for highly alkaline radioactive liquid waste
- Production and radiochemical separation of 68Ge from irradiated Ga–Ni alloy target in 30 MeV cyclotron
- Preparation of [64Cu]Cu–NOTA complex as a potential renal PET imaging agent using 64Cu produced via the direct activation route
- Total chemical synthesis of PSMA-617: an API for prostate cancer endotherapeutic applications
- Rapid screening technique for gross α and gross β estimations in aqueous samples during radiation emergency
- Development of Dy3+ doped lithium magnesium borate glass system for thermoluminescence based neutron dosimetry applications
