Neptunium breeder reactor fuels

Naptbol, l-(2-carboxyphenyla2o)-chromium complex geometrical isomerism, 68 Neptunium breeder reactor fuels Purex process, 955 reprocessing, 954 electrolytic reduction Purex process, 949 environmental chemistry, 961 extraction Purex process, 951 Purex process, 946,950 recovery... 

When more them one solute is involved in the consideration of the process design, the situation becomes much more complex since the extraction behaviours of the different solutes will usually be interdependent. In the case of irradiated thermal reactor fuels the solvent extraction process will be dealing with uranium containing up to ca. 4% of fission products and other actinides. These will have only a minor effect on uranium distribution so that a single-solute model may be adequate for process design. However, in some cases nitric acid extraction may compete with U02 extraction and a two-solute model may be needed. In the case of breeder reactor fuels the uranium may contain perhaps 20% of plutonium or thorium. Neptunium or protactinium levels in such fuels may also not be negligible and, under these circumstances, the single-solute... 

UO2 extraction and a two-solute model may be needed. In the case of breeder reactor fuels the uranium may contain perhaps 20% of plutonium or thorium. Neptunium or protactinium levels in such fuels may also not be negligible and, under these circumstances, the single-solute... 

There are two breeder reactor fuel cycles. One involves the irradiation of U/ Pu oxide fuel with fast neutrons and is at the prototype stage of development. The other involves the irradiation of Th/ U oxide fuel with thermal neutrons and is at the experimental stage. Fuel from the U/ Pu cycle may be reprocessed using Purex technology adapted to accommodate the significant proportion of plutonium present in the fuel. Increased americium and neptunium levels will also arise compared with thermal reactor fuel. The Th/ U fuel may also be reprocessed using solvent extraction with TBP in the Thorex (Thorium Recovery by Extraction) process. In this case the extraction chemistry must also take account of the presence of Pa arising as shown in Scheme 2. 

Plutonium and neptunium nitrides were studied for the application to advanced fast breeder reactor (FBR) fuels. Details on the application of nuclear fuels is available in the reference (Matzke 1986). Fundamental properties of these plutonium and neptunium compounds are reviewed in the Chemical Thermodynamics of Neptunium and Plutonium (Lemire et al. 2001) issued by OECD/NEA (Organization for Economic Co-operation and... 

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