Modular, integrated, automated, compact, and proliferation-hardened method to chemically recycle used nuclear fuel (UNF) originating from nuclear reactors to recover a mixture of transuranic (TRU) elements for advanced reactor fuel to recycle uranium and zirconium
AssigneeCurio Solutions LLC
InventorsYechezkel Moskowitz, Yehudah Moskowitz, Vik Singh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A single integrated system for recycling used nuclear fuel (UNF) emerging from a reactor has a decladding vessel separating fuel pellets from nuclear fuel rods via oxidation to produce U3O8. A fluorination vessel is coupled to the decladding vessel to remove hexafluorides from the U3O8 produced by the decladding vessel. An electrowinning vessel is coupled to the fluorination vessel removing plutonium and actinides via electrowinning.
Claims24
A single integrated system for recycling used nuclear fuel (UNF) emerging from a reactor comprising:
- a decladding vessel separating fuel pellets from nuclear fuel rods via oxidation to produce U3O8;
- a fluorination vessel coupled to the decladding vessel to remove hexafluorides from the U3O8 produced by the decladding vessel;
- and
- an electrowinning vessel coupled to the fluorination vessel removing plutonium and actinides via electrowinning.
A method of recycling used nuclear fuel (UNF) emerging from a reactor comprising:
- separating fuel pellets from nuclear fuel rods by converting UO2 of the fuel pellets into a powdered U3O8;
- removing hexafluorides from the powdered U3O8 by a fluorinating agent;
- and
- removing plutonium and actinides via electrowinning.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.