Ammonium uranate hydrate wet reconversion process for the production of nuclear-grade UO2 powder from uranyl nitrate hexahydrate solution

Abstract

The existing wet reconversion processes for the recovery of scraps generated in manufacturing of nuclear fuel are complex and require several unit operation steps. In this study, it is attempted to simplify the recovery process of high-quality fuel-grade UO2 powder. A novel wet reconversion process for uranyl nitrate hexahydrate solution is suggested by using a newly developed pulsed fluidized bed reactor, and the resultant chemical characteristics are evaluated for the intermediate ammonium uranate hydrate product and subsequently converted UO2 powder, as well as the compliance with nuclear fuel specifications and advantages over existing wet processes. The UO2 powder obtained by the suggested process improved fuel pellet properties compared to those derived from the existing wet conversion processes. Powder performance tests revealed that the produced UO2 powder satisfies all specifications required for fuel pellets, including the sintered density, increase in re-sintered density, and grain size. Therefore, the processes described herein can aid realizing a simplified manufacturing process for nuclear-grade UO2 powders that can be used for nuclear power generation.(c) 2023 Korean Nuclear Society, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).