Thermochemical consideration for pyrochemical reprocessing of nitride fuels

Hayashi, Hirokazu; Ogawa, Toru; Minato, Kazuo

Proceedings of Japan-Korea Workshop on Nuclear Pyroprocessing, p.301 - 303, 2002/00

The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) has proposed the concept of the double-strata fuel cycle, which includes transmutation cycle for burning long-lived minor actinides (MA: Np, Am and Cm) besides the current Japanese commercial fuel cycle. A combination of the nitride fuel and pyrochemical reprocessing has been chosen as a candidate for the fuel cycle of the MA burner systems. The behavior of uranium in pyrochemical reprocessing of nitride fuels were discussed using the stability diagrams (potential-log(p(N)) diagrams). The diagrams of U-N-Cl system were constructed with the thermochemical data of uranium compounds including UNCl. Experimental data for dissolution of uranium nitride with oxidizing agents in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt were compared with the diagrams.