Effect of pulse electrolysis on morphology of co-deposited MOX granules

MOX共析顆粒形態へのパルス電解の影響

小藤 博英  ; 岡村 信生 ; 水口 浩司*; 明珍 宗孝

Kofuji, Hirohide; Okamura, Nobuo; Mizuguchi, Koji*; Myochin, Munetaka

酸化物電解法乾式再処理技術のMOX共析工程におけるパルス電解法の適用性を、U, Pu,模擬FP及びCPを用いた実験により評価した。実験により不純物やパルス波形が析出物に与える影響が明らかになった。特に電流を停止している間の析出物の溶解挙動が重要である。結果として、MOX中のPu富化度を向上させる波形が確認され、さらに析出物組成が均質化することが明らかとなった。これらの電解挙動を定性的にモデル化して検討を行った。

In the oxide electrowinning method of nuclear fuel recycling, the applicability of the pulse electrolysis method to the MOX co-deposition process was evaluated. Several experiments were conducted involving uranium, plutonium, and elements simulating fission product (FP) or corrosion product (CP). Through study of the results of these experiments, the influences of the impurities and the effect of the waveform of electrolysis pulses on the electro-deposit were clarified. As a result, pulse electrolysis conditions which could restrain Pu enrichment of the deposited MOX were confirmed. Furthermore, it was found that the element distribution in the MOX granule obtained by the pulse electrolysis was homogenized, which is well suited for nuclear fuel fabrication. Finally, a qualitative model of the pulse electrolysis reaction near the field of cathode surface is proposed.