Development of Pyrochemical Reprocessing for Spent Metal Fuels

Molten salt electrorefining based pyrochemical reprocessing is ideally suited for treating the spent metallic fuels. Development of all aspects of the pyroprocess flow sheet is in progress at IGCAR to enable the commercialisation of the process. Following the initial laboratory scale studies, engineering scale studies have been taken up on the molten salt electrorefining process and the consolidation process for recovering the actinides from cathode deposit. Studies are also being carried out on the direct electrochemical reduction of actinide oxides, methods for the fabrication of waste forms and materials and coatings.