Experiments of pyro-chemical reprocessing in CRIEPI and ITU joint study

CRIEPI (Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry) has been carried out a joint study with ITU (Institute of Transuranium Elements) in EURATOM on pyro-chemical reprocessing from 1997. Until now, design and manufacturing of testing apparatuses have been finished, and electro-refining tests and reductive extraction tests on unirradiated metal fuels, and electro-reduction tests on unirradiated MOX fuel have been examined. Experiments on high level liquid waste similar to practical fuel level will be executed in future. In this report, some testing apparatuses moved already into the hot-cell lead-shielded are introduced, and some experimental results taken from electro-refining tests and electro-reduction tests are shown. These experiments clear the anode dissolution behavior of metal fuels in pyro-process, and reduction behavior of MOX fuel pellets in electrical reduction process, respectively. (A. Hishinuma)