Separation of Macro-Quantities of Actinide Elements at Savannah River by High-Pressure Cation Exchange

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Abstract
Large-scale separation of actinides from fission products and from each other by pressurized cation exchange chromatography at Savannah River is reviewed. Several kilograms of 244Cm have been separated, with each run containing as much as 150 g of 244Cm. Dowex® 50W-X8 (Dow Chemical Co.) cation resin, graded to 30–70 micron size range, is used, and separation is made by eluting with 0.05M diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) at a pH of 3. The effluent from the column is continuously monitored by a BF3 detector, a NaI detector, and a lithium-drifted germanium detector and gamma spectrometer to guide collection of product fractions. Operating the columns at 300 to 1000 psi pressure eliminates resin bed disruption caused by radiolytically produced gases, and operating at: increased flow rates decreases the radiolytic degradation of the resin per unit of product processed. A portion of the hot canyon of a production radiochemical separation plant was converted from a remote crane-operated facility to a master-slave manipulator-operated facility for separation and purification of actinide elements by pressurized cation exchange. It also contains an evaporator, furnaces, a calorimeter, and several precipitators and associated tanks. Actinide processing from target dissolution to packaging of purified product is planned in this facility.