Work

DISSOLUTION OF SURROGATE U-Zr FUEL USING ALNIFLEX CONDITIONS

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Non-aluminum clad spent nuclear fuel (NASNF) stored in L Basin at the Savannah River Site (SRS) is widely varied in fuel composition, design, packaging, and physical condition. The complexity of the NASNF inventory presents significant challenges, and technology development is necessary for successful disposition. One such fuel in the inventory is metallic uranium-zirconium (U-Zr) alloy fuel, the focus of this study. Electrolytic or nitric acid only dissolution of metallic U-Zr alloy can form insoluble zirconium oxide, which results in up to 52% loss of U to insoluble solids, and can be subject to potentially uncontrolled oxidation reactions [1, 2]. The AlNiflex process was determined to be a viable dissolution flowsheet for the U-Zr alloy fuel. Under a narrow set of solution concentrations, a combination of hydrofluoric acid (HF), nitric acid (HNO3), aluminum nitrate (Al(NO3)3), and hexavalent chromium can safely dissolve U-Zr intermetallic alloys, keep Zr soluble, and not significantly corrode stainless steel (SS) vessels [3, 4.

Source: OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information)

Author: Gogolski, Jarrod M. [Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), Aiken, SC (United States)]; Pierce, Robert A. [Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), Aiken, SC (United States)]; Fara, Rachel E.; Truong, Thanh-Tam T.

Institution: Savannah River National Laboratory

Language: English

Topic: Radioactive element chemistry and processing

Subfield: Inorganic Chemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W4407763992

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