IGCAR : Annual Report - Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research
IGCAR : Annual Report - Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research
IGCAR : Annual Report - Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research
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IGC<br />
<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 2007<br />
IV.B. Reprocessing and Waste Management<br />
IV.B.1. Reprocessing of Spent FBTR fuel in CORAL<br />
The reprocessing of all the<br />
pins from FBTR with the burnup<br />
upto 100 GWd/t have been<br />
reprocessed successfully in<br />
CORAL which has provided<br />
immense opportunity <strong>for</strong><br />
studying various solvent<br />
extraction flowsheet conditions<br />
on the per<strong>for</strong>mance. The<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mance of the solvent<br />
extraction process with high<br />
plutonium feed concentration<br />
was studied. With an aqueous<br />
plutonium feed as high as 30<br />
gms per liter(gpl), the organic<br />
could be loaded to as high as<br />
25 gpl. The strip product from<br />
the first cycle with a Pu<br />
concentration of as high as 20<br />
gpl could be obtained. As the<br />
required decontamination<br />
factor was obtained in the first<br />
cycle itself, the product was<br />
qualified <strong>for</strong> reconversion. This<br />
is a very encouraging result,<br />
considering the fact that during<br />
a codecontamination cycle, we<br />
have been able to establish the<br />
conditions <strong>for</strong> high<br />
decontamination factor as well<br />
high strip product<br />
concentration which will be fit<br />
<strong>for</strong> direct reconversion. This<br />
high Pu concentration has<br />
improved the precipitation<br />
characteristics in the Pu<br />
reconversion also. Most of the<br />
campaigns could be completed<br />
in a single extraction cycle<br />
itself, though in a very few<br />
cases, to get the required Ru<br />
decontamination, the second<br />
cycle was required.<br />
The inspection of chopper<br />
and chopper-dissolver<br />
interconnecting chute was<br />
carried out using a fibroscope<br />
during the course of the<br />
campaign. Some chopped<br />
pellets were seen to have<br />
accumulated in the chopperdissolver<br />
chute and were<br />
cleared mechanically. Dissolver<br />
was inspected with a camera<br />
using a telescopic arm. No<br />
undissolved solids or corrosion<br />
of vessel was observed in the<br />
dissolver.<br />
In the spent solvent treatment<br />
facility, various washing<br />
reagents such as ammonium<br />
carbonate and sodium<br />
carbonate were used. Pu<br />
retained in the lean organic<br />
could be quantitatively<br />
recovered. Fig.1(a) and (b)<br />
show the setup <strong>for</strong> spent solvent<br />
Fig.1(a) Solvent treatment facility: Mixer settler in operation inside the glove box<br />
Fig.1 (b) Closer view of the Mixer<br />
settler<br />
FUEL CYCLE 97
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