[ RadSafe ] Spent Fuel, Fuel Rod Bundles, Reprocessing, Robotics, etc.

[Franz Schönhofer]

Jerry,

If memory serves me well (and I am sure it does!) then the first step in 
reprocessing is cutting the fuel rods into small pieces and then proceed 
with dissolving cladding and fuel in suitable acids and treat the solution 
according to its chemical composition to retrieve the plutonium and/or 
uranium in a pure form while simultaneously separating it from fission 
products. In other words, it is done exactly as you describe it.

Best regard

Franz

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- 
From: Yahoo Mail Inc
Sent: Monday, May 20, 2013 9:40 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Spent Fuel, Fuel Rod Bundles, Reprocessing, 
Robotics,etc.

Why not just dissolve the whole thing, fuel pellets and clading in nitric 
acid ,
or other suitable solvent and proceed from there. I thought fuel 
reproocessing
was a relatively well established technology in Pu production and, to a 
small
extent in reprocessing commercial nuclesr fuel. I cannot understand the 
"need"
for extracting the fuel from the cladding as a first step. Please explain.
Jerry Cohen

________________________________
From: "JPreisig at aol.com" <JPreisig at aol.com>
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Sent: Tue, May 14, 2013 11:35:51 AM
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Spent Fuel, Fuel Rod Bundles, Reprocessing, Robotics, 
etc.

Dear Radsafe:

    Hey All.  Hope you are having a good  week.  Get Well Soon, Franz!!!!

    I know this email won't be the end-all in a  discussion of Fuel Rods,
Spent Fuel Reprocessing, Robotics, etc., so here goes  anyway.

    I guess reprocessing will eventually take fuel rod  bundles from dry
storage casks and place them in an area where they are isolated  from people
and can be handled robotically.  The reprocessing  operator/technican would
probably have some hand-like robotic controls which can  be used to grasp
and move fuel bundles as needed..  Maybe a first task  would be taking each
fuel bundle and placing it in the vicinity of a band saw,  welding torch,
laser, etc. which could be used to make linear cuts across the  fuel bundles 
for

the process of separating the fuel pellets from the fuel  rods.

    So, one question is (generally???) if one cuts in a  direction
perpendicular to each fuel rod bundle's main axis, can one extricate 
multiple
fuel

pellets with one cut???  Are the fuel pellets in say 6 fuel  rods in a
bundle at the same linear position????  How many fuel pellets are  in one 
fuel
rod????

    The next question is, once the cut across a fuel rod is  made, will the
fuel pellets fall out of the fuel rod easily, or will more  mechanical
encouragement/handling be needed????

    After the fuel pellets are all collected in a bucket, or  some
container, then what happens next???
Are the fuel pellets placed in some acid or some other chemical for further
processing????  I know Jaro and other people on Radsafe are more familiar
in what processing will take place after this point.  and I'm sure one
email and/or more has already been sent to Radsafe concerning spent fuel
reprocessing.

    Anyway, I've opened up this can of worms for today  (again).  Direct
your comments/suggestions to Radsafe...Can robotic etc.  reprocessing of 
spent
reactor fuel be done at all, or in an economically viable  manner????

    Thanks for you comments...

    Regards,  Joseph R. (Joe) Preisig,  Ph.D.



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