Solvent extraction studies of coprocessing flowsheets: Results from Campaign 6 of the Solvent Extraction Test Facility (SETF)

Status Summary of Chemical Processing Development in Plutonium-238 Supply Program

“…The design offers flexibility in operations; for example, quartz windows allow viewing of the settling stages, and contactors are open on the top for reagent addition and stage sampling. The SETF has been used to evaluate flowsheets for light water reactor spent fuel, Fast Flux Test Facility spent fuel, the Transuranic Elements Extraction, or TRUEX, flowsheet at high activity levels (Collins et al 1982a(Collins et al , 1982bBond et al 1983;Benker et al 1986).…”

“…The conditions for P1PX-1 were selected based on experience on fission product rejection obtained in previous testing (Benker et al 1986;Bond et al 1983), along with insight gained from simulations on control of Np. The recovery of Np in the coextraction bank is primarily dependent on the full conversion of Np(V) to Np(VI), along with the extraction of Np(VI).…”

Solvent extraction studies with intermediate-burnup Fast Flux Test Facility fuel in the Solvent Extraction Test Facility

“…For each batch of fuel, the processing steps included: (1) dissolution of the fuel in nitric acid; (2) filtration and adjustment of the dissolver solution to the proper feed conditions for solvent extraction; (3) a solvent extraction test, using 30% TBP-NPH, with total partitioning in the mixersettlers; ( 4 ) anion exchange t o purify the plutonium product; (5) Plutonium oxalate precipitation; and ( 6 ) calcination of the oxalate product to plutonium oxide.…”

Solvent extraction studies of 10% TBP flowsheets in the solvent extraction test facility using irradiated fuel from the Fast Flux Test Facility

“…The objective of the control system was to maintain a high operating efficiency by maximizing the loading of heavy metals (uranium and plutonlum) into the organic phase in the extraction contactor while still maintaining low losses of heavy metals to the raffinate. The processing steps used in this campaign Included: (1) dissolution of the fuel in nitric acid (HNO3), (2) clarification of the dissolver solutions by filtration, (3) adjustment of the dissolver solution to the proper concentrations and plutonlum valence for solvent extraction, (4) solvent extraction processing with partitioning of the uranium and plutonlum, (5) purification of the plutonlum by nitrate-based anion exchange, and finally (6) conversion of the plutonlum to an oxide form by oxalate precipitation and calcination.…”