Base Case Pu-Nitrate to Pu-Oxide Conversion Plant

摘要

This paper explains that the plutonium recovered in the course of reprocessing spent fuel is obtained in the form of plutonium nitrate, whereas PuO sub 2 is required for the fabrication of fuel rods. The reference conversion plant described in the paper converts plutonium nitrate into plutonium dioxide powder by precipitation with oxalic acid followed by calcination. The paper also describes the main features of the safety, maintenance and safeguards philosophy used in its design. (Atomindex citation 11:540583)