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Series

Environmental Sciences

2002

Actinide elements; Criticality (Nuclear engineering); Neutrons — Multiplicity; Reactor fuel reprocessing; Separation (Technology); Spent reactor fuels; Transmutation (Chemistry); Transuranium elements

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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Nuclear Criticality Analyses Of Separations Processes For The Transmutation Fuel Cycle, William Culbreth, Pang Tao, Denis Beller Jan 2002

Nuclear Criticality Analyses Of Separations Processes For The Transmutation Fuel Cycle, William Culbreth, Pang Tao, Denis Beller

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The separation and partitioning of used commercial reactor fuel is a vital component of any reprocessing or transmutation strategy. To process the high actinide fuels required for a transmutation effort, the Chemical Technology Division (CMT) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) is developing a pyrochemical separations process. Currently, this work is being done via small experiments. While this is more than sufficient to develop the technologies required to process actinide-bearing fuels, it does not allow for the direct investigation of criticality concerns that would be present in larger systems. As the volume of waste to be treated increases, a higher probability …