ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT OF FLUID-BED FLUORIDE VOLATILITY PROCESSES Part 5. Description of a Pilot-scale Facility for Uranium Dioxide-Plutonium Dioxide Processing Studies

摘要

Fluid-bed, fluoride volatility processes are being developed for the recovery of uranium and plutonium from spent nuclear fuels of power reactors. In these processes, chemical separations are achieved by formation of the volatile hexafluoride compounds of uranium and plutonium.nA pilot plant has been constructed at Argonne National Laboratory for studying the following two major process steps, as applied to uranium dioxide-plutonium dioxide fuel:n(1) The fluorination of uranium and plutonium oxides to hexafluorides.n(2) The conversion of uranium and plutonium hexafluorides to dense dioxide mixtures suitable for refabrication of fuel.