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Division Spotlight
Thermal Hydraulics
The division provides a forum for focused technical dialogue on thermal hydraulic technology in the nuclear industry. Specifically, this will include heat transfer and fluid mechanics involved in the utilization of nuclear energy. It is intended to attract the highest quality of theoretical and experimental work to ANS, including research on basic phenomena and application to nuclear system design.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Latest News
Argonne to investigate Pu chemistry to aid Hanford cleanup
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory are investigating the details of plutonium chemistry with the goal of aiding the cleanup of the Hanford Site in Washington state. For more than 40 years, reactors located at Hanford produced plutonium for America’s defense program, resulting in millions of gallons of liquid radioactive and chemical waste.
Yoshiharu Sakamura, Takashi Omori, Tadashi Inoue
Nuclear Technology | Volume 162 | Number 2 | May 2008 | Pages 169-178
Technical Paper | First International Pyroprocessing Research Conference | doi.org/10.13182/NT162-169
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The electrochemical reduction process has been recently developed for converting oxide nuclear fuels to metals. In order to characterize the reduction mechanism and to investigate appropriate conditions for improving the reduction rate, several reduction tests were conducted in a LiCl-Li2O electrolyte at 650°C using various types of cathode baskets containing 10 to 100 g of UO2. The reduction progressed from the outside to the center of the cathode basket, and the reduction rate might be determined by the transportation of oxygen ion to the bulk salt. It was verified that feeding in small UO2 particles and reducing the thickness of the UO2 layer in the cathode basket improved the reduction rate. The completion of UO2 reduction was indicated by the open circuit potential of the cathode basket exhibiting lithium deposition potential for a long time. A salt distillation test was conducted using the reduction product comprising a mixture of porous uranium metal particles and the electrolyte. The reduction product loaded in an yttria crucible was heated to 1400°C in an argon stream. The residue in the crucible consisted of a uranium metal ingot and a small amount of dross. The adhering LiCl seemed to be completely removed. Consequently, it was demonstrated in the electrochemical reduction followed by the salt distillation that a uranium metal ingot could be produced from the UO2 feed with a high degree of efficiency.