Determination of uranium and plutonium in metal conversion products from electrolytic reduction process

Chemical characterization of process materials is required for the optimization of an electrolytic reduction process in which uranium dioxide, a matrix of spent PWR fuels, is electrolytically reduced to uranium metal in a medium of LiCl-Li2O molten at 650 .deg. C. A study on the determination of fissile materials in the uranium metal products containing corrosion products, fission products and residual process materials has been performed by controlled-potential coulometric titration which is well known in the field of nuclear science and technology. Interference of Fe, Ni, Cr and Mg (corrosion products), Nd (fission product) and LiCl molten salt (residual process material) on the determination of uranium and plutonium, and the necessity of plutonium separation prior to the titration are discussed in detail. Under the analytical condition established already, their recovery yields are evaluated along with analytical reliability