ISOTOPE REDUCTION OF REGENERATED URANIUM Russian patent published in 2004 - IPC

FIELD: recycling nuclear power-generating materials.

SUBSTANCE: proposed method intended to enable reuse of uranium extracted from spent nuclear fuel in fuel cycle of light-water reactors by reducing its isotope involves increase of ²³⁵U isotope content in regenerated uranium to 2.0 - 7.0 mass percent at the same time reducing relative concentration of isotopes ²³²U, ²³⁴U, and ²³⁶U including direct enrichment of raw regenerated uranium hexafluoride in gas-centrifuge isotope-separating cascade; raw regenerated uranium is enriched by ²³⁵U isotope to content of 21.0 - 90.0 mass percent in double cascade during extraction of reduced fuel material with ²³⁵U isotope content not over 50.0%, preferably 2.0 - 36.0 mass percent, through waste flow of second ordinary cascade. Enrichment in first ordinary cascade is conducted up to ²³⁵U content of 3.5 - 10.0 mass percent or 21.0 - 35.0 mass percent. This method provides for attaining desired enrichment of regenerated uranium by ²³⁵U isotope at low content of noxious isotopes.

EFFECT: enhanced quality of regenerated uranium reduction due to absolute and relative control of noxious isotope content.

7 cl, 3 dwg, 5 tbl