METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REPROCESSING SPENT FUEL FROM LIGHT-WATER REACTOR

摘要

An apparatus for reprocessing a spent fuel from a light-water reactor, which comprises an uranium oxide elution section (8) practicing an uranium oxide elution step of immersing a spent fuel (1) from a light-water reactor in an eluting molten salt (4) added with an uranium oxide supplying source as an eluting anode (2) together with an eluting cathode (3), followed by application of a voltage, to thereby elute uranium oxide (6) from the spent fuel (1) of a light-water reactor into the eluting molten salt (4) and precipitate it on the eluting cathode (3), and an electrolytic reduction section (16) practicing a step of immersing the residue (10) of the eluting anode (2) in a reducing molten salt (13) added with an oxygen supplying source as a reducing cathode (11) together with a reducing anode (12), followed by application of a voltage between the reducing anode (12) and the cathode (11), to thereby reduce the residue (10) and produce an alloy; and a method for reprocessing the spent fuel using the apparatus. The apparatus and the method allows the production of a fuel for a fast reactor through the processing of a spent fuel from a light water reactor without adding plutonium from outside.