Development of a continuous process for adjusting nitrate, zirconium, and free hydrofluoric acid concentrations in zirconium fuel dissolver product

摘要

In the Fluorinel Dissolution Process (FDP) upgrade, excess hydrofluoric acid in the dissolver product must be complexed with aluminum nitrate (ANN) to eliminate corrosion concerns, adjusted with nitrate to facilitate extraction, and diluted with water to ensure solution stability. This is currently accomplished via batch processing in large vessels. However, to accommodate increases in projected throughput and reduce water production in a cost-effective manner, a semi-continuous system (In-line Complexing (ILC)) has been developed. The major conclusions drawn from tests demonstrating the feasibility of this concept are given in this report.