Nuclear Fuel
Reprocessing
By: Talha Yahya
Saad Tahir
Naveed Akhtar
Background
• Nuclear reprocessing means chemically separating
and recovering fissionable plutonium from spent
nuclear fuel.
• Originally, reprocessing was used solely to extract
plutonium for producing nuclear weapons.
• With commercialization of nuclear power, the
reprocessed plutonium was recycled back into MOX
nuclear fuel for thermal reactors.
Processing perspective, and
products of reprocessing
• Pyrometallugy
using heat to initiate separation of the metals
from their mineral concentrate (e.g. copper
smelting to produce blister copper, lead smelting).
• Electrometallurgy
using electric current to separate the metals
• Hydrometallurgy
using aqueous solutions that dissolve the metal,
with sometimes also electrolytic cells to separate
Composition
• The composition of reprocessed uranium (RepU)
depends on the initial enrichment
• It will normally have less than 1% U-235
• Smaller amounts of U-232 and U-236 created in the
reactor. U-232 is largely formed through alpha
decay of Pu-236, and the concentration of it peaks
after about 10 years of storage.
PUREX
• PUREX, the current standard method, is an acronym
standing for Plutonium and Uranium Recovery
by EXtraction. The PUREX process is a liquid-liquid
extraction method.
• The fuel is first dissolved in nitric acid at a
concentration of ca. 7 M. Solids are removed by
filtration lest they form emulsions, referred to as third
phases in the solvent extraction community.
• The organic solvent consists of 30% tributyl
phosphate (TBP) in a hydrocarbon, such as kerosene.
Uranium ions are extracted as UO2(NO3)2·2TBP
complexes, and plutonium as similar complexes.
PUREX
• Plutonium is separated from uranium by treating
the kerosene solution with reducing agents to
convert the plutonium to the +3 oxidation state.
• Typical reducing agents include N,N-diethyl
hydroxylamine, ferrous sulphamate, and hydrazine.
The plutonium 3+ passes into the aqueous phase.
The uranium is stripped from the kerosene solution
by back-extraction into nitric acid at a
concentration of ca. 0.2 M.
Purex Modifications
• UREX
• TRUEX
• DIAMEX
• SANEX
• UNEX
Electrometarulgical
• PYRO-A
Developed at Argonne to follow the UREX process, is a pyrochemical
process for the separation of transuranic elements and fission products
contained in the oxide powder resulting from denitration of the UREX
raffinate
• PYRO-B
• Advanced Recycling Centre (ARC)
• KAERI advanced spent fuel conditioning process
(ACP)
• Russian Pyroprocessing
The Political Melodrama
• Reprocessing would increase the risk of nuclear terrorism.
Less than 20 pounds of plutonium is needed to make a simple
nuclear weapon. Easy to steal.
• Reprocessing would increase the ease of nuclear proliferation.
It will be difficult for international inspectors to safeguard because
it would be harder to make precise measurements of the weapon-
usable materials during and after processing. Moreover, all
reprocessing technologies are far more proliferation-prone than
direct disposal.
• Reprocessing would hurt nuclear waste management efforts.
• Reprocessing would be very expensive.
Reprocessing and the use of plutonium as reactor fuel are also far
more expensive than using uranium fuel and disposing of the spent
fuel directly.
Pakistan
• Though Pakistan has never used this process to
prepare fuel for its reactors but has been using
reprocessing for producing war heads.
• Pakistan built the 40–50 MW (megawatt,
thermal) Khushab Reactor Complex
• On 30 May 1998, Pakistan proved its plutonium
capability in a scientific experiment and sixth
nuclear test: codename Chagai-II
References
• Wikipedia: Nuclear Reprocessing & Pakistan weapons of Mass
Destruction
• World Nuclear Association: Reprocessing of used Nuclear Fuel
• Spent fuel: LH Johnson - Radioactive waste forms for the future,
1988
• Nuclear chemistry: G Choppin, Y Ridberg – 1984
• Safety of the nuclear fuel cycle: K Ebert, RV Ammon - 1989
A text worth considering
• Spent fuel reprocessing: a vital link in Indian nuclear power
program: PK Dey, NK Bansal - Nuclear Engineering and Design,
2006 - Elsevier
