METHOD FOR SOLIDIFYING TRANSURANIUM FUEL ELEMENT SOLUTIONS Russian patent published in 1997 - IPC

FIELD: radiochemical industry; recovery of spent nuclear fuel. SUBSTANCE: silica gel is saturated with radionuclides of transuranium elements (up to 800 mg/g) from nitric acid solution at boiling temperature of the latter. Cleaning efficiency of condensate obtained in the action is higher than 2•10⁴. Source solution may be doped, for example, with complexing agents to attain complete extraction when desorption is required. Upon evaporating source solution, final operations include steaming with hot aqueous solution of nitric acid to reduce dust carry-over. Then silica gel is dried out and baked at 120-650 C so that solid compounds of transuranium elements not subject to radiolytic decomposition, non-dusty, and extracted in the amount of 99.9% during desorption with nitric acid are obtained inside sorbent. EFFECT: improved effectiveness of method. 2 cl, 4 tbl