The modern purex process and its analytical requirements

Baumgärtner, F.; Ertel, D.

doi:10.1007/bf02533770

Cited by 34 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Ultra-violet, visible, and near-infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectrophotometry has been used for decades to determine actinide speciation and concentrations in a number of aqueous media, such as the salts and acids of ClO 4 − and Cl − , and the common NO 3 − reprocessing media [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Raman spectroscopy is also useful for actinide measurements, and the Raman bands for the An(VI) (An = U, Np, Pu) and An(V) (An = Np, Pu, Am) actinide species are well characterized [10][11][12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectroscopic monitoring of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing streams: an evaluation of spent fuel solutionsviaRaman, visible, and near-infrared spectroscopy

Bryan¹,

Levitskaia

Johnsen

et al. 2011

Radiochimica Acta

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The potential of using optical spectroscopic techniques, such as Raman and visible/near infrared (Vis/NIR), for on-line process control and special nuclear materials accountability applications at a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facility was evaluated. The availability of on-line, real-time techniques that directly measure process concentrations of nuclear materials will enhance the performance and proliferation resistance of the solvent extraction processes. Further, on-line monitoring of radiochemical streams will also improve reprocessing plant operation and safety. This paper reviews the current state of development of the spectroscopic on-line monitoring techniques for such solutions. To further examine the applicability of optical spectroscopy for this application, segments of a spent nuclear fuel, with approximate burn-up values of 70 MW d/kg M, were dissolved in concentrated nitric acid and adjusted to varying final concentrations of HNO 3 . The resulting spent fuel solutions were batch-contacted with tributyl phosphate/n-dodecane organic solvent. The feed and equilibrium aqueous and loaded organic solutions were subjected to optical measurements. The obtained spectra showed the presence of quantifiable Raman bands due to NO 3 − and UO 2 2+ and Vis/NIR bands due to multiple species of Pu(IV), Pu(VI), Np(V), the Np(V)-U(VI) cation-cation complex, and Nd(III) in fuel solutions. This result justifies spectroscopic techniques as a promising methodology for monitoring spent fuel processing solutions in real-time. The fuel solution was quantitatively evaluated based on spectroscopic measurements and was compared to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy analysis and Oak Ridge Isotope Generator (ORIGEN)-based estimates.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectroscopic monitoring of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing streams: an evaluation of spent fuel solutionsviaRaman, visible, and near-infrared spectroscopy

Bryan¹,

Levitskaia

Johnsen

et al. 2011

Radiochimica Acta

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“…Optical spectroscopy is a widely applied technique that has been utilized to support research and process monitoring for decades. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] A variety of optical techniques are available and can provide a level of chemical characterization that cannot be supplied via many other techniques. Examples include enabling identification and quantification of chemical speciation, 10 oxidation state, 11 and coordination environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Nd(III) Solution Concentration in the Presence of Interfering Er(III) and Cu(II) Ions: A Partial Least Squares Analysis of Ultraviolet–Visible Spectra

et al. 2021

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Optical spectroscopy is a powerful characterization tool with applications ranging from fundamental studies to real-time process monitoring. However, it can be difficult to apply to complex samples that contain interfering analytes which are common in processing streams. Multivariate (chemometric) analysis has been examined for providing selectivity and accuracy to the analysis of optical spectra and expanding its potential applications. Here we will discuss chemometric modeling with an in-depth comparison to more simplistic analysis approaches and outlining how chemometric modeling works while exploring the limits on modeling accuracy. Understanding the limitations of the chemometric model can provide better analytical assessment regarding the accuracy and precision of the analytical result. This will be explored in the context of UV-vis absorbance of neodymium (Nd3+) in the presence of interferents, erbium (Er3+) and copper (Cu2+) under conditions simulating the liquid-liquid extraction approach used to recycle plutonium (Pu) and uranium (U) in used nuclear fuel worldwide. The selected chemometric model, partial least squares regression (PLS), accurately quantifies Nd3+ with a low percentage error in the presence of interfering analytes and even under conditions that the training set does not describe.

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“…Driven by these considerations, various wet and dry processes have been developed to recover valuable nuclides (especially TRUs) from SNFs [4,11,12]. Aqueous solution-based techniques such as plutonium uranium reduction extraction (PUREX) have been well established for the extraction of TRUs, and commercial facilities are operational in many countries [11,12]. Pyroprocessing, a combination of molten salt-based dry processes, has also been studied as an alternative [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, during wet and dry recovery processes, the treatment of U from SNFs consumes considerable resources because the SNFs, mostly composed of U, must be destroyed completely into ionic states to be dissolved in the reaction media. erefore, a significant amount of the dissolved U compounds should be chemically or electrochemically treated in a subsequent extraction stage [4,11,12], which contributes substantially to the burden of the entire recovery process. It is conventionally expected that the costs and complexity of such recover processes can be significantly reduced if methods of extracting TRUs without destroying the UO 2 matrix in the oxide-phase SNFs are developed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissolution Behavior of Simulated Spent Nuclear Fuel in LiCl-KCl-UCl3 Molten Salt

Lee

Kim

Jang

et al. 2021

Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations

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Considering the necessity of the development of methods to reduce the burden of storage and disposal of high-level radioactive waste, in this study, we propose a nuclide separation technique using molten salt immersion. The dissolution behavior of simulated spent nuclear fuels (SSFs) immersed in a LiCl-KCl-UCl3 (LKU) molten salt at 500°C was investigated using a combination of thermodynamic and experimental studies. Surrogates of transuranic elements (TRUs), that is, rare earth elements (REs), in the SSFs were dissolved into the molten salt without any damage to the UO2 structure of the SSFs. The results suggest that the LKU salt technique can be used to separate REs and, potentially, TRUs from actual spent nuclear fuels (SNFs). It is thought that this technique is advantageous over the conventional TRU recovery techniques because the majority of the SNFs (i.e., UO2) remained stable, thus reducing the process burden. Several SNF treatment process options using this technique were suggested. This study will serve as a guide for future studies on the management of high-level waste discharged from nuclear reactors.

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The modern purex process and its analytical requirements

Cited by 34 publications

References 2 publications

Spectroscopic monitoring of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing streams: an evaluation of spent fuel solutionsviaRaman, visible, and near-infrared spectroscopy

Spectroscopic monitoring of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing streams: an evaluation of spent fuel solutionsviaRaman, visible, and near-infrared spectroscopy

Measuring Nd(III) Solution Concentration in the Presence of Interfering Er(III) and Cu(II) Ions: A Partial Least Squares Analysis of Ultraviolet–Visible Spectra

Dissolution Behavior of Simulated Spent Nuclear Fuel in LiCl-KCl-UCl3 Molten Salt

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