METHOD OF PROCESSING FUEL PELLET CONTAINING FISSIONABLE MATERIAL

摘要

A method of treating a nuclear reactor fuel pellet which has been irradiated and is at least partially depleted of its initial fissile material content to substantially reduce the amount of fuel which would have to be reprocessed before it could be reused. The pellet is pulverized to a median particle size of less than about 300 microns and thereafter is separated into two fractions by size. In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that one of said fractions will contain a significantly greater proportion of the fissile content of the pellet than the other of said fractions. The fissile-rich fraction is suitable for reforming into pellets for use in a nuclear reactor with little or no further enrichment required. The method of the present invention is applicable to the metallic, oxide, and carboxide forms of nuclear reactor fuels such as uranium and thorium, which have been in service in a light water reactor or a fast breeder reactor.