Flexible fuel cycle system for the effective management of plutonium

Fukasawa, Tetsuo*; Hoshino, Kuniyoshi*; Yamashita, Junichi*; Takano, Masahide

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(11), p.1215 - 1222, 2020/11

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1779144

The flexible fuel cycle initiative system (FFCI system) has been developed to reduce spent fuel (SF) amounts, to keep high availability factor for the reprocessing plant and to increase the proliferation resistance for the recovered Pu. The system separates most U from the SF at first, and the residual material called recycle material (RM) which contains Pu, minor actinides, fission products and remaining U will go to Pu(+U) recovery from the RM for Pu utilizing reactor in future. The Pu utilizing reactor is FBR or LWR with MOX fuel. The RM is the buffer material between SF reprocessing and Pu utilizing reactor with compact size and high proliferation resistance, which can suppress the amount of relatively pure Pu. The innovative technologies of FFCI are most U separation and temporary RM storage. They are investigated by the literature survey, fundamental experiments using simulated material and analyses using simulation code. This paper summarizes the feasibility confirmation results of FFCI.

Preventing nuclear fuel material adhesion on glove box components using nanoparticle coating

Segawa, Tomoomi; Kawaguchi, Koichi; Ishii, Katsunori; Suzuki, Masahiro; Tachihara, Joji; Takato, Kiyoto; Okita, Takatoshi; Satone, Hiroshi*; Suzuki, Michitaka*

Proceedings of 2020 International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 2020) (Internet), 6 Pages, 2020/08

https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE2020-16215

To reduce the hold-up of the nuclear fuel materials in the glove box and the external exposure dose, the technology of the MOX powder adhesion prevention by the nanoparticle coating to the acrylic panels of the glove box has been developed. Due to the formation of nano-sized tiny rugged surface, the nanoparticle coating reduced the minimum adhesion force between the UO particles and the acrylic test piece surface with the smallest particle size of about 5 m where desorption was observed, by about one-tenth. Moreover, the nanoparticle coating reduced the amount of the MOX powder adhering to the acrylic test piece to about one-tenth. In this study, it was found that applying the nanoparticle coating to the acrylic panels of glove box can prevent the adhesion of nuclear fuel materials. This method is effective for reducing the hold-up of the nuclear fuel materials in the glove box, the external exposure dose and improving the visibility of the acrylic panels.

-radiation and HO induced oxidative dissolution of uranium(IV) oxide in aqueous solution containing phthalic acid

Kumagai, Yuta; Jonsson, M.*

Dalton Transactions (Internet), 49(6), p.1907 - 1914, 2020/02

https://doi.org/10.1039/c9dt03952j

This study aims to reveal possible involvements of organic acids in the oxidative dissolution of UO. Using phthalic acid as a model compound, we have measured adsorption on UO and investigated effects on the reaction between HO and UO and on oxidative dissolution induced by -irradiation. Significant adsorption of phthalic acid was observed even at neutral pH. However, the reaction between HO and UO in phthalic acid solution induced oxidative dissolution of U(VI) similarly to aqueous bicarbonate solution. These results indicate that even though phthalic acid adsorbs on the UO surface, it is not involved in the interfacial reaction by HO. In contrast, the dissolution of U by irradiation was inhibited in aqueous phthalic acid solution, whereas HO generated by radiolysis was consumed by UO. The inhibition suggests that radical species derived from phthalic acid was involved in the redox reaction process of UO.

Electronic structure of UTe studied by photoelectron spectroscopy

Fujimori, Shinichi; Kawasaki, Ikuto; Takeda, Yukiharu; Yamagami, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Ai*; Homma, Yoshiya*; Aoki, Dai*

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 88(10), p.103701_1 - 103701_5, 2019/10

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSJ.88.103701

Time-controlled synthesis of the 3D coordination polymer U(1,2,3-Hbtc) followed by the formation of molecular poly-oxo cluster {} containing hemimellitate uranium(IV)

Dufaye, M.*; Martin, N. P.*; Duval, S.*; Volkringer, C.*; Ikeda, Atsushi; Loiseau, T.*

RSC Advances (Internet), 9(40), p.22795 - 22804, 2019/07

https://doi.org/10.1039/C9RA03707A

Two coordination compounds bearing tetravalent uranium (UIV)) were synthesized in the presence of tritopic hemimellitic acid in acetonitrile with a controlled amount of water (HO/U 8) and structurally characterized. The slow hydrolysis reaction together with the partial decomposition of the starting organic reactants into oxalate and acetate molecules induces the generation of such a large poly-oxo cluster with fourteen uranium centers. Structural comparisons with other closely related uranium-containing clusters, such as the {}O] with three dinuclear sub-units {}, were performed.

Study on decontamination of steel surface contaminated with uranium hexafluoride by acidic electrolytic water

Nakayama, Takuya; Nomura, Mitsuo; Mita, Yutaka; Yonekawa, Hitoshi*; Bunbai, Misako*; Yaita, Yumi*; Murata, Eiichi*; Hosaka, Katsumi*; Sugitsue, Noritake

Proceedings of 2019 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2019) (Internet), 8 Pages, 2019/05

Clearance of contaminated metal is important for recycling and volume reduction of radioactive waste. Among applicable decontamination technologies, immersion method with ultrasonic cleaning is considered to be effective for metal materials having various shapes. in this study is to demonstrate decontamination of carbon steel contaminated by uranium hexafluoride to the target level for clearance (less than 0.04 Bq/cm), and minimize secondary waste. In this test, acidic electrolytic water, dilute hydrochloric acid, dilute sulfuric acid and ozone water with various pH and redox potential were used as decontamination solutions to be tested. We found that acidic electrolytic water is effective solution for decontamination of carbon steel contaminated by uranium hexafluoride. It could be decontaminate less than target level for clearance, and reduced secondary waste relatively.

Effect of HO concentration on oxidative dissolution of UO

Kumagai, Yuta

Hoshasen Kagaku (Internet), (107), p.77 - 78, 2019/04

Reaction of hydrogen peroxide (HO) with uranium dioxide (UO) oxidizes U(IV) to water-soluble U(VI). In the concept of direct geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel, this reaction is expected to induce dissolution of UO matrix of the spent fuel. This study investigate effect of HO concentration on the kinetics and the yield of U(VI) dissolution of this reaction. A series of experiments of the reaction of HO with UO powder dispersed in water has been carried out. The experimental results reveal that increase in the HO concentration slows down the reaction and decreases the yield of U(VI) dissolution. This observation suggests that a reaction intermediate is generated in the course of the HO reaction on the surface of UO.

Application of M-edge XANES to determination of U oxidation state in zircon

Tanaka, Kazuya; Takahashi, Yoshio*

Geochemical Journal, 53(5), p.329 - 331, 2019/00

https://doi.org/10.2343/geochemj.2.0568

We examined three natural zircon samples with different amounts of radiation doses using M-edge and L-edge U X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES). Analysis of XANES spectra at both M-edge and L-edge suggested that the oxidation state of U in the zircon sample with the highest radiation dose is tetravalent. The XANES spectra of the two other samples with lower radiation doses suggested a mixture of U(IV) and U(VI), while the possibility of U(V) was not excluded. This is the first work on the application of M-edge U XANES to the oxidation state of U in natural zircon.

Mechanism of phase transfer of uranyl ions; A Vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy study on solvent extraction in nuclear reprocessing

Kusaka, Ryoji; Watanabe, Masayuki

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 20(47), p.29588 - 29590, 2018/12

https://doi.org/10.1039/C8CP04558E

Mechanistic understanding of solvent extraction of uranyl ions (UO) by tributyl phosphate (TBP) will help improve the technology for the treatment and disposal of spent nuclear fuels. So far, it has been believed that uranyl ions in the aqueous phase are adsorbed to a TBP-enriched organic/aqueous interface, form complexes with TBP at the interface, and are extracted into the organic phase. Here we show that uranyl-TBP complex formation does not take place at the interface using vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy and propose an alternative extraction mechanism that uranyl nitrate, UO(NO), passes through the interface and forms the uranyl-TBP complex, UO(NO)(TBP), in the organic phase.

Separation technique using column chromatography for safeguards verification analysis of uranium and plutonium in highly-active liquid waste by isotope dilution mass spectrometry

Yamamoto, Masahiko; Taguchi, Shigeo; Horigome, Kazushi; Kuno, Takehiko

Proceeding IAEA Symposium on International Safeguards; Building Future Safeguards Capabilities (Internet), 8 Pages, 2018/11

In this study, the single-column extraction chromatographic separation has been developed for analysis of U and Pu in highly active liquid waste by isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS). The commercially available TEVA resin is selected as an extraction chromatography resin. The U is chromatographically separated from fission products (FP) elements by nitric acid while Pu(IV) is adsorbed on the resin. After that, Pu is eluted by reducing to Pu(III). The method has been successfully achieved the separation with yielding the enough recovery and sufficient decontamination factors for subsequent IDMS analysis. The column dose rate after the FP removal is decreased to the background. The analytical results obtained by the developed method are in a good agreement with those of the conventional method. It provides simple and rapid separation and expected that the method can be applied to join IAEA/Japan on-site analytical laboratory.