Performance of integrated cathode processors with non-water cooling induction heating systems for purification of uranium from simulated nuclear fuels
摘要
A new integrated cathode processor was designed for efficient capacity scale-up, and the performances of uranium (U) and U/transuranic purification were evaluated. A cathode processor was developed to hold more than 3.5 L (~ 14 kg U, 4 g cm−3 assumed U-dendrite density), adopting an induction heating system without water cooling. Both salt distillation (~ 682 g of U dendrites) and cadmium (Cd) distillation (~ 2 kg of U–Cd alloys) confirmed the performance by completely removing the adhered salt or Cd. Thermodynamic calculations supported the feasibility of the cathodic process in both purification tests.