Engineering application of 3DX column in the third cycle of uranium line

Pulsed extraction columns, including 3DX column, 3DS column and 3E column, was used in the third cycle to extract uranium in the pilot reprocessing plant, which used the 2EU from the second cycle to extract uranium as raw materials and to remove the neptunium and other radio-nuclides. The result of cold uranium commissioning showed that the third cycle of extracting uranium could not operate stably. Main reason was that sieve column with 3DX standard nozzle in the original design did not meet the technical requirements of process operation under designed load. The annular baffle column was designed and manufactured based on design experiment of 1AX column before hot test in order to ensure the stable operation of hot test. The results showed that the new designed 3DX column could operate stably for a long time, and the technical parameters could meet the technical requirement for the third cycle of extracting uranium in the pilot reprocessing plant, such as recovery rate of the uranium, purification efficiency. (authors)