Centrifugal contactors Purex process

Jenkins, J.A., Mills, A.L., Thompson, P.J., Jubin, R.T. 1993. Performance of centrifugal contactors on uranium and plutonium active PUREX flowsheets. In Solvent Extraction in the Process Industries ISEC 93, York, UK, September 16-21. Logsdail, D.H., Slater, M.J. Eds. Elsevier Applied Science, London and New York. 

Modolo, G., Asp, H., Vijgen, H. et al. 2008. Demonstration of a TODGA-based continuous counter-current extraction process for the partitioning of actinides from a simulated PUREX raffinate, PartB Centrifugal contactor runs. Solvent Extr. Ion Exch. 26 (1) 62-76. 

The centrifugal contactor was first used to reprocess spent nuclear fuel at the SRS in 1966 (Webster et al., 1969). For almost 40 years, this 18-stage 25-cm SRL contactor was used for the extraction and scrub sections (the A-bank) of the PUREX (plutonium-uranium extraction) process at the SRS. Contactor operation stopped when the facility in which they were housed was shut down in 2003. This 18-stage contactor replaced a 24-stage mixer-settler. Mixer-settlers continued to be used for the rest of the processing, as most of the radiation was removed in the A-bank. The ability to... 

UREX+ A solvent extraction process for separating the components of used nuclear fuel so that the unreacted fraction can be reused in an Advanced Burner Reactor. Based on the Purex process, which uses tributyl phosphate in n-dodecane, but using multistage, centrifugal contactors. Developed by the Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago, IL, from 2003 and proposed for use by 2014. 

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