Radiation damage to TBP/kerosene solvent, (II). Effect on extraction behavior of uranium and thorium and on their loading effect

Radiation damage to 30v/0 TBP/kerosene was investigated to determine changes in the extraction behavior of uranium and thorium with the solvent irradiated up to 10⁸ R in nitrate system and similarly in the stripping behavior with 0.01 N nitric acid. The effect on uranium and thorium was discernible only with irradiations reaching 10⁸ R. Changes in the behavior of fission products present in company with uranium or thorium were found to be the similar to the case where they existed free of uranium or thorium. At irradiations below 10⁷ R, uranium and thorium manifested loading effect, but it disappeared when irradiation reached 10⁸R. Calculation of one stage decontamination factors of fission products from uranium and thorium confirmed deterioration of the power of separation with irradiation, and the degree of deterioration was determined quantitatively. The decontamination factor for ⁹⁵Zr-⁹⁵Nb was decreased to 1/2,000 by irradiation to 10⁸ R, while the same dosage of irradiation had little effect for ¹⁰⁶Ru-¹⁰⁶Rh. Physical properties such as density, viscosity, emulsification tendency and phase separation time were also observed to be effected by irradiation to 10⁸ R. (author)