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Studies on solubility of TBP in aqueous solutions of fuel reprocessing

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Abstract

In nuclear technology, tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) diluted with a hydrocarbon diluent such as n-dodecane or NPH is the most frequently used solvent in liquid–liquid extraction for fuel reprocessing. This extraction, known as the plutonium uranium refining by extraction, is still considered as the most dominant process for the extraction of uranium and plutonium from irradiated fuels. The solubility of pure TBP in water is about 0.4 g/L at 25 °C. This is enough to create trouble during evaporation of raffinate and product solutions. Solubility data for undiluted TBP and TBP (diluted in inert hydrocarbon diluent) in various concentrations of nitric acid is not adequate in the literature. The solubility data generated in the present study provide complete information on the solubility of TBP in various nitric acid concentrations (0–15.7 M) at room temperature. The effect of heavy metal ion concentration such as uranium and various fission products on the solubility of TBP in nitric acid is also presented. The results obtained from gas chromatographic technique were compared with spectrophotometric technique by converting the organic phosphate into inorganic phosphate. The generated data is of direct relevance to reprocessing applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Reprocessing Research and Development Division, Reprocessing Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603 102, Tamilnadu, India

    P. Velavendan, S. Ganesh, N. K. Pandey, U. Kamachi Mudali & R. Natarajan

  2. Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad, 500 062, India

    R. Geetha & M. K. Ahmed

Authors
  1. P. Velavendan
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  2. S. Ganesh
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  3. N. K. Pandey
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  4. R. Geetha
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  5. M. K. Ahmed
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  6. U. Kamachi Mudali
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  7. R. Natarajan
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Correspondence to P. Velavendan.

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Velavendan, P., Ganesh, S., Pandey, N.K. et al. Studies on solubility of TBP in aqueous solutions of fuel reprocessing. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 295, 1113–1117 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-012-1945-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-012-1945-1

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