New design centrifugal contactor remotely controlled for solvent extraction operations for feed clarification

The project concept of the nuclear facilities has gone through an important evolution in the past years in relation to the need of: garantiing the remote maintenance reducing workers exposure when operating in high-risk areas; making easier final decommissioning operations of the plants. In this way the ITREC pilot plant (built in 1970s') for its modular characteristic based on Rack Removal System (R.R.S.) was the first example of this new concept of project. A further development, in the field of remote maintenance and decommissioning operations, we can obtain associating to the R.R.S. concept that of projecting the single components (only for the critical ones) remotely demountable in their higher radioactive parts to consent the maintenance-substitution and/or decommissioning operations without interfering with remaining parts of the plant which it is connected. All of this helps in the realization of the aim making better plant operations reducing drastically work time and therefore non-functioning period of the plants. These principles have been applicated in the realization of two important components in reprocessing plant: the centrifugal contactor for solvent extraction and feed clarification centrifuge