Minor actinides recovery from irradiated fuel for SmART cycle test

Takeuchi, Masayuki ; Sano, Yuichi   ; Watanabe, So  ; Nakahara, Masaumi; Aihara, Haruka   ; Kofuji, Hirohide  ; Koizumi, Tsutomu; Mizuno, Tomoyasu

SmART cycle test has been promoted for reduction of volume and radiotoxicity of vitrified waste. It is a fuel cycle test using small amount of minor actinides (MA) in irradiated FBR fuels. The plan includes U, Pu and MA partitioning, fuel fabrication, irradiation at FBR and post irradiation examination. In this paper, a series of radioactive tests for MA partitioning from the irradiated fuel were mainly focused. As treatment of the irradiated fuel, it was sheared and dissolved by hot nitric acid, and then, U, Pu and Np in the dissolved fuel solution are co-extracted by solvent extraction. Am and Cm in the raffinate are efficiently separated by chromatographic technique. The target of MA yield for this cycle test is more than 1g to fabricate MOX pellets bearing 5% MA. As the current status for the MA partitioning, we have successfully finished the shearing and dissolution of the irradiated FBR fuel and solvent extraction process and the two steps flowsheet for Am and Cm partitioning from the raffinate and denitration behavior of separation product solution was discussed.