Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
1998 International RERTR Meeting

NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE HEAD-END ENRICHED URANIUM PURIFICATION
AND CONVERSION INTO METAL

Ing. Bonini, A. - Ing. Cabrejas, J. - Ing. De Lio, L. - Lic. Dell’Occhio, L. - Sr. Devida, C. - Dr. Dupetit,
G. - Ing. Falcón, M. - Ing. Gauna, A. - Lic. Gil, D. - Sr. Guzmán,
G. - Sra. Neuringer, P.- Sr. Pascale, A. - Ing. Stankevicius, A.

UAMyCN - Gerencia Centro Atómico Ezeiza
Avda. del Libertador 8250 (1429) Capital Federal, Argentina.

ABSTRACT

The CNEA (Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica) operates two facilities at the Ezeiza Atomic Center which supply purified enriched uranium employed in the production of nuclear fuels.

At one of those facilities, the Triple Height Laboratory (LTA, Laboratorio Triple Altura), scraps from the production of MTR type fuel elements (mainly out of specification U₃O₈ plates or powder) are purified to nuclear grade. The purification is accomplished by a solvent extraction process.

The other facility, the Enriched Uranium Laboratory (LUE, Laboratorio de Uranio Enriquecido) produces 90% enriched uranium metal to be used in Mo 99 production (originally, the uranium was used for the manufacture of MTR fuel elements made of aluminum-uranium alloy). This laboratory also provided metallic uranium with a lower enrichment (20%) for a first uranium-silicon testing fuel element, and in the near future it is going to recommence 20% enriched uranium related activities in order to provide the metal for silicon-based fuel elements production (according to the policy of enrichment reduction for MTR reactors).

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