Studies on understanding the mechanism of the enhanced conductivity of the third phase in PUREX process during reprocessing of fast reactor fuel

Journal article

Authors/Editors

Sahoo, Pradeep

Research Areas

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Publication Details

Author list: Subbuthai S, Sahoo P, Rao AN, Rao RVS

Publisher: Springer Verlag (Germany) / Akadémiai Kiadó

Place: DORDRECHT

Publication year: 2013

Journal: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry (0236-5731)

Journal acronym: J RADIOANAL NUCL CH

Volume number: 295

Issue number: 2

Start page: 943

End page: 949

Number of pages: 7

ISSN: 0236-5731

eISSN: 1588-2780

Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)

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Abstract

Towards development of electrical conductivity based sensors for online detection of formation of third phase during reprocessing of Pu rich spent nuclear fuels, laboratory studies were carried out using U4+ solutions in various experimental conditions. Third phases were generated by extracting U4+ from nitric acid medium by 1.09 M TBP at different A/O (A: aqueous, O: organic) ratios. The results of this study indicate that the third phase is nearly 100-300 times more conducting than lean organic phase and saturated phase. The higher conductivity of third phase as compared to that of other two phases is explained based on the principle of reverse micelle formation and charge movement between the micro emulsion globules by percolation phenomenon.

Keywords

Conductivity, Reverse micelles, Third phase formation and detection

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