Nuclear Chemical Engineering

Pyroprocess Development

This multidisciplinary group employs its expertise in chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science to understand, develop, and engineer innovative, commercially viable electrochemical processes for the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. This work covers the full scope of the nuclear fuel cycle for metal, oxide, carbide and nitride fuels with the development of novel processes for the efficient recovery and recycling of actinides into fresh fuel as well as the stabilization of fission products in robust waste forms. Recent inventions include the development of highly scalable designs for uranium electrorefining and electrolytic oxide reduction systems. In concert with our process development activities, we are also developing and evaluating electroanalytical techniques for use in safeguards systems.

Equipment contained in the engineering-scale electrorefiner glovebox is being prepared for a uranium electrorefining performance test.

Uranium dendrites collected during electrorefiner performance test. Download image from Flickr

 

 

For more information:

Nuclear Chemical Engineering Dept.
Pyroprocess Development Section
Sect. Manager: James L. Willit