Uranium partition, electropulse column

Cermak, A. F., and Spaunburgh, R. G., "Development of the Electropulse Column for Uranium-Plutonium Partitioning in the AGNS Reprocessing Plant," Paper presented at this Conf. (INDE 162). 

Development of the Electropulse Column for Uranium-Plutonium Partition in the AGNS Reprocessing Plant... 

In 1968, an electrolytic reduction process was proposed by A. Schneider and A. L. Ayers (6) to circumvent the above disadvantages. A research program was carried out in the Allied Chemical Corporation s laboratories during the years 1968 to 1972 to develop the process and equipment. The work resulted in the development of the Electropulse Column ( 7) for the continuous (differential) electrolytic uranium-plutonium partition process, which was later scaled up, fabricated, and installed in the Allied-General Nuclear Services reprocessing plant at Barnwell, South Carolina. About the same time, a stagewise electrolytic uranium-plutonium partition process was tested on a mini mixer-settler unit in Germany. (8)... 

The 2.54-cm diameter Electropulse Column shown in Figure 1, after completion of uranium runs, was installed at Battelle Memorial Institute (Columbus, Ohio) for uranium-plutonium partition tests. Six electrolytic runs were made under conditions corresponding to partitioning in the first process cycle to determine the effect of uranium reduction efficiency R(u) on t le separation process. The organic feed contained 80 to 83 grams/L of uranium and 0.71 to 0.82 grams/L of plutonium. The nitric acid concentration in the aqueous feed was 2.5 to 2.8 M and in the organic feed 0.2 to 0.3 M. 

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