Electrochemical procedures in the treatment of spent nuclear fuel

The use of an electrochemical process for U/Pu partitioning has demonstrated a good performance and is a safe alternative for nuclear facilities. Its great advantages are the lack of introduction of foreign ions into the process and, especially, the minimization of the waste volume generated. For the introduction of electrochemical U/Pu partitioning in the 2nd Pu purification cycle, preliminary studies were carried out with a single mixer-settler unit. Based on the results, an 8-stage electrolytic mixer-settler (M-S MIRELE) was designed. Titanium was MIRELE's housing material (cathode) and platinum the anode, insulated with PTFE. The Pu recovery was higher than 99%, indicating the efficiency of this equipment.