Conversion of spent uranium oxide fuel into molten salt reactor fuel
OwnerIan Richard SCOTTinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is described a method of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. The spent nuclear fuel is added to an electro-reduction cell containing a halide salt electrolyte at a temperature above the melting point of the metallic form of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel. The cell is operated so as to electrochemically reduce the spent nuclear fuel to form an alloy of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel, wherein electrochemical reduction is continued until a concentration of unreduced components of the spent nuclear fuel is sufficiently low for the alloy to agglomerate.
Claims21
A method of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, the method comprising:
- adding the spent nuclear fuel to an electro-reduction cell containing a halide salt electrolyte at a temperature above the melting point of the metallic form of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel;
- and
- electrochemically reducing the spent nuclear fuel to form an alloy of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel;
- wherein electrochemical reduction is continued until a concentration of unreduced components of the spent nuclear fuel is sufficiently low for the alloy to agglomerate.
An apparatus for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, the apparatus comprising:
- an electro-reduction cell comprising:
- a tank configured to contain a molten salt electrolyte;
- a heating system configured to maintain the tank at a temperature above a melting point of the metallic form of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel;
- and
- an anode and cathode located within the tank and configured to electrochemically reduce spent nuclear fuel to form an alloy of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel;
- a feed configured to provide spent nuclear fuel to the electro-reduction cell;
- an alloy removal system configured to remove the alloy from the electroreduction cell;
- and
- a controller configured to cause the electro-reduction cell to continue electrochemical reduction of the spent nuclear fuel to continue until a concentration of unreduced components of the spent nuclear fuel is sufficiently low for the alloy to agglomerate, and then to cause the alloy removal system to remove the alloy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.