Extraction of Plutonium from Uranium-Plutonium Alloy with Uranium Trichloride

Chellew, N. R.; Steunenberg, R.K.

doi:10.13182/nt67-a27868

Cited by 2 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Fertile isotopes are those capable of transmutating into fissile isotopes by the process of neutron capture in a thermal neutron spectrum. As stated earlier, 232 Th and 238 U are the only two naturally occurring fertile isotopes. 1 b. Actinide elements heavier than uranium are called transuranics.…”

Section: Materials Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…Note that 232 Th, 238 U, and 235 U have the longest half-lives, which explains the abundance of these isotopes in the earth's crust. Also, the relatively long half-lives of 233 U and 239 Pu, man-made fissile isotopes with transmutation of 232 Th and 238 U, render these isotopes useful for nuclear fission applications. Fission cross section is a measure of the probability of a fissionable nucleus capturing an incident neutron and undergoing fission.…”

Section: Materials Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As will be discussed later, reactors can operate with NU or uranium enriched in 235 U. 232 Th is the only naturally occurring thorium isotope, and 232 Th and 238 U are the only naturally occurring fertile isotopes. Reactors can be used to create fissile isotopes by exploiting the transmutation of 238 U to 239 Pu, and 232 Th to 233 U.…”

Section: Materials Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As stated earlier, 235 U, 233 U, 239 Pu, and 241 Pu are fissile isotopes. 232 Th and 238 U are not considered fissile isotopes because their fission cross section is very low in the thermal neutron spectrum. However, they are both readily fissionable in a fast neutron spectrum.…”

Section: Materials Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, they are both readily fissionable in a fast neutron spectrum. Therefore, 232 Th and 238 U are fissionable isotopes.…”

Section: Materials Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nuclear Fuels and Reprocessing Technologies: A U.S. Perspective

Fredrickson

Yoo

2021

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Reprocessing and/or waste management issues are of concern to the "back end" of the nuclear fuel cycle. Of course, there are a great many "nuclear fuel cycle" scenarios to consider; if not in practice, then at least in theory. The simplest conceptually is the "once through" fuel cycle in which the spent fuel is discarded. The more complex fuel cycle scenarios involve reprocessing spent nuclear fuels and a family of nuclear reactor technologies to accommodate burning and breeding for various military and commercial needs. Therefore, the selection of a specific "fuel cycle" is what ultimately imposes the engineering requirements of the reprocessing and waste management technologies. No one part is independent of the other parts in a fuel cycle flowsheet; all parts should be fully integrated. This paper presents a summary of nuclear chemistry processes, nuclear reactor technologies, associated nuclear fuel types, and the reprocessing technologies that serve the different nuclear fuel types. Comprehending how this series of topics are related to each other is a prerequisite to understanding the requirements of any reprocessing strategy. The summary materials presented here are selective, as opposed to comprehensive. More detailed information on any one subject can be found in the reference materials.

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Section: Materials Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 70%

Section: Materials Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%