Processing of LEU targets for (sup 99)Mo production -- Dissolution of metal foils by nitric-acid/sulfuric-acid mixtures

摘要

The first step in processing low-enriched uranium (LEU) targets for production of (sup 99)Mo is to dissolve the neutron-irradiated uranium foil coming from the reactor. Appropriate conditions for dissolving the foils were determined by measuring the dissolution rates for uranium foil over a wide range of temperatures and acid concentrations. On the basis of these dissolution rates, the process chemistry, and a model that integrates dissolution rates as a function of temperature and composition, a closed stainless-steel dissolver was designed, built, and tested for dissolving up to 18 g of uranium foil. The results were quite successful, with the uranium foil being dissolved within one hour as desired. To do this, the dissolver temperature must be in the range from 97 to 102 C, and the dissolver solution (cocktail) must have a composition of 3M nitric acid and 2M sulfuric acid. The final dissolver solution is subsequently processed to separate (sup 99)Mo from uranium, fission products, and other elements.