PUREX PROCESS PERFORMANCE WITH SHORT-RESIDENCE CONTACTORS

Recovery and purification were satisfactory in miniatarepilot-plant tests of the Purex first cycle with the solvent residing four seconds in each extraction stage. Decontamination factors for both zirconium-- niobium and ruthenium were greater than 10,000 with negligible crosscontamination of uranium and plutonium. The effects of the following on decontamination and plutonium partitioning were determined: irradiation level of the fuel, operating temperature, solvent saturation, accumulated exposure of the solvent, nitrous acid, and ferrous sulfamate versus U(IV) as a reductant for Pu(IV). (auth

Neptunium behavior in solvent extraction of uranium at Savannah River Plant

The solvent extraction behavior of neptunium in the processing of irradiated natural uranium (Purex process) and irradiated enriched uranium (HM process) at Savannah River was studied in the laboratory. Conditions were demonstrated for extracting neptunium in the first solvent extraction contactor of each process, and two methods were developed for partitioning neptunium from uranium in the HM process. (auth