Development of methodology for the determination of impurities in uranium compounds used in the elaboration of fuel elements

The present investigation intends to quantify the impurities present in the nuclear fuel elements manufactured in the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission, Fuel Elements Plant; that can be added during the process of elaboration, because their presence generates a final product that delivers low energy to the reactor and therefore does not meet the standards internationally demanded for these elements. It mainly refers to the development of a methodology based on the separation of impurities (Al, V, Ni, Cu, Cd, Co, Zn, Sn, Fe, Ti, Li, and Mo) from the uranium compounds present in the fuel elements; which consists in its first stage in the separation of the impurities already named by Ion Exchange chromatography and subsequent quantification of these through the Instrumental Technique of Atomic Emission Spectrometry with Inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES). The separation of impurities from uranium in the material of reference is effective at 50% and uranium retention at 95% conditions are optimal to continue developing the methodology and controlling the critical points detected