Abstract
ABSTRACTAn Advanced PUREX process has been developed for separation and recycling of neptunium from spent nuclear fuel. This work presents a new flowsheet simulation model for the extraction of neptunium using centrifugal contactors, where mass transfer is modeled using two-film theory and a linear driving force. Distribution coefficients and neptunium redox reactions are modeled using published models. Mass transfer between the organic and aqueous phases in the phase separation zone is shown to have a negligible effect. The model is applied to a previously tested flowsheet and its predictions are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results.
Highlights
The management of nuclear wastes, including spent nuclear fuel arising from nuclear power production, is a matter of global concern
Spent nuclear fuel can be either directly disposed of in a geological repository or reprocessed and the actinide elements recycled into new fuel.[1]
Recycling uranium and plutonium increases the sustainability of nuclear energy by vastly extending the available fuel reserves, and recycling the minor actinides can substantially reduce the long-term radiotoxicity and heat loading of high-level wastes in the repository.[2,3,4]
Summary
The management of nuclear wastes, including spent nuclear fuel arising from nuclear power production, is a matter of global concern. Most existing models predefine the phase holdup volumes, while holdup volumes in the separation unit of a centrifugal contactor depend on the weir diameters of the contactor and change with fluid flow rates. To address these shortcomings, this paper proposes a new centrifugal contactor model for neptunium extraction and presents the application of the model to investigate neptunium extraction in an advanced PUREX process (for which experimental data have been published[13]). The simulation model is validated against experimental data[13] and can be used to analyze the sensitivity of the neptunium separation to key operating parameters
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