Methods of fabricating metallic fuel from surplus plutonium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10280527-B2
Application number	US-201213613782-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2012
Priority date	Sep 13, 2012
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

A method of fabricating metallic fuel from surplus plutonium may include combining plutonium oxide powder and uranium oxide powder to obtain a mixed powder with reduced proliferation potential. The mixed powder may be electroreduced in a bath of molten salt so as to convert the mixed powder to a first alloy. The first alloy may be pressed to remove a majority of the molten salt adhered to the first alloy to form a pressed alloy-salt mixture. The first alloy may be isolated from the salt by melting the pressed alloy-salt mixture. The first alloy may be further processed to fabricate a fuel rod. Accordingly, the metallic fuel produced may be used in a fast reactor system, such as a Power Reactor Innovative Small Module (PRISM).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating metallic fuel from surplus plutonium, the method comprising:
combining plutonium oxide powder consisting essentially of PuO 2 with uranium oxide powder to obtain a mixed powder, the plutonium oxide powder being present at a quantity of about 20% to 50% by weight relative to a total weight of the mixed powder, the uranium oxide powder having a 235 U enrichment of less than 5.0 wt %;
electroreducing the mixed powder in a porous basket immersed in a bath of molten salt so as to convert the mixed powder to a first alloy of plutonium and uranium, the first alloy being in a form of a porous metal sponge;
pressing the first alloy to remove a majority of the molten salt adhered to the first alloy to form a pressed alloy-salt mixture; and
isolating the first alloy from a remainder of the molten salt by melting the pressed alloy-salt mixture via electromagnetic induction in a furnace and discharging the first alloy from a bottom of the furnace.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressing includes removing at least 80% of the molten salt adhered to the first alloy.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressing includes a simultaneous application of heat to facilitate removal of the molten salt adhered to the first alloy.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
reintroducing the molten salt back into the bath of molten salt after the pressing and isolating the first alloy.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plutonium oxide powder is from a can of a recovered product of reprocessed nuclear fuel or nuclear weapons.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sampling the mixed powder to verify a quantity of the plutonium oxide powder therein prior to the electroreducing.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plutonium oxide powder and the uranium oxide powder are not commingled until the combining to obtain the mixed powder.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
adding a Group 4 metal and uranium metal to the first alloy after the isolating so as to form a second alloy.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the adding a Group 4 metal and uranium metal is performed such that the second alloy has about 20% to 50% plutonium by weight.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the adding a Group 4 metal includes introducing zirconium to the first alloy.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
forming a fuel rod from the second alloy.

Assignees

• Loewen Eric P
• Kosslow Zachary W
• Berger John F
• Ge Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas Llc

Inventors

• Loewen Eric P
• Kosslow Zachary W
• Berger John F

Classifications

• Y02E30/34

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02W30/882

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G21C3/60

  Metallic fuel; Intermetallic dispersions · CPC title

• G21C21/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of reactors or parts thereof (in general section B, e.g. B23) · CPC title

• G21C19/44

  of irradiated solid fuel · CPC title