Mass transfer performance evaluation of 125 mm centrifugal extractor. Contributed Paper ED-04

In reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, solvent extraction is the main process for the recovery of uranium and plutonium. The contactor deployed in the process must have low contact time to reduce radiation damage to the solvent while maintaining high mass transfer efficiency. Annular centrifugal extractor is the ideal choice for FBR fuel reprocessing due to its short residence time, low holdup and high throughput. For possible deployment in solvent extraction based fuel cycle plants, a 125 mm dia centrifugal extractor was developed at Reprocessing Group, IGCAR. In this paper, mass transfer performance of the unit was evaluated with 30%TBP/ nitric acid biphasic systems. (author)