Recovery of protactinium from irradiated thorium nitrate by solvent extraction

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Abstract

Recovery of protactinium from irradiated thorium nitrate by solvent extraction is studied in relation to the blanket conditions of a fusion neutron source (FNS) using n-octanol and diisobutylcarbinol (DIBC) as extractants. The degree of extraction of 233Pa from a solution of irradiated thorium nitrate (600 g/dm3) in 3 M nitric acid in one contact exceeded 80%, and the separation coefficients from uranium and thorium were obtained to be more than 600 and 130 000, respectively. To minimize the content of 232U in 233U (to less than 5 ppm), a procedure is proposed that includes short-term irradiation of thorium nitrate and continuous extraction of protactinium.

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About the authors

M. L. Khokhlov

Khlopin Radium Institute

Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, 2-i Murinskii pr. 28, St. Petersburg, 194021

A. P. Yakushin

Khlopin Radium Institute

Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, 2-i Murinskii pr. 28, St. Petersburg, 194021

Yu. S. Fedorov

St. Petersburg State Institute of Technology (Technical University)

Author for correspondence.
Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moskovskii pr. 24-26/49 lit. A, St. Petersburg, 190013

V. V. Samonin

St. Petersburg State Institute of Technology (Technical University)

Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moskovskii pr. 24-26/49 lit. A, St. Petersburg, 190013

V. D. Davidenko

National Research Center Kurchatov Institute

Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, pl. Akademika Kurchatova 1, Moscow, 123182

A. A. Kovalishin

National Research Center Kurchatov Institute

Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, pl. Akademika Kurchatova 1, Moscow, 123182

K. V. Pavlov

National Research Center Kurchatov Institute

Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, pl. Akademika Kurchatova 1, Moscow, 123182

Yu. E. Titarenko

National Research Center Kurchatov Institute

Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, pl. Akademika Kurchatova 1, Moscow, 123182

A. S. Kirsanov

National Research Center Kurchatov Institute; Moscow Polytechnic University

Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, pl. Akademika Kurchatova 1, Moscow, 123182; ul. Bol’shaya Semenovskaya 38, Moscow, 107023

A. A. Arkhipov

Moscow Polytechnic University

Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, ul. Bol’shaya Semenovskaya 38, Moscow, 107023

M. V. Kotel’nyi

Moscow Polytechnic University

Email: fys54@mail.ru
Russian Federation, ul. Bol’shaya Semenovskaya 38, Moscow, 107023

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2. Fig. 1. Chains of nuclide transformations in a thorium blanket.

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3. Fig. 2. Extraction of 231Pa depending on the concentration of octanol. Concentration of thorium nitrate 0.4 mol/dm3. Concentration of nitric acid, mol/l: 1 – 3.0, 2 – 4.0.

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4. Fig. 3. Extraction of 231Pa depending on the concentration of DIBC. Concentration of thorium nitrate 0.4 mol/dm3. Concentration of nitric acid, mol/l: 1 – 3.0, 2 – 4.0.

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5. Fig. 4. A variant of the scheme for continuous extraction of protactinium with the aim of producing 233U with a minimum (<5 ppm) content of 232U.

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