The Chemistry of (U,Pu)O2 Dissolution in Nitric Acid

The focus of this paper is the chemistry of mixed uranium plutonium oxide (MOx,) in nitric acid. An overview of dissolution chemistry is discussed by comparing the differences in the dissolution characteristics of uranium and plutonium oxides. An overview of batch dissolution experiments, studying the dissolution chemistry of high surface area MOx powders and low surface area MOx pellets with reference to the effects of nitrous acid, nitric acid and temperature are described. The results are discussed in terms of the autocatalytic mechanism and mass transfer limited dissolution.