PNNL

Abstract

There is urgent need for methods to provide on-line monitoring and control of the radiochemical processes that are currently being developed and demonstrated under the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) initiative. The methods used to monitor these processes must be robust (require little or no maintenance) and must be able to withstand harsh environments (e.g., high radiation fields and aggressive chemical matrices). The ability for continuous online monitoring allows the following benefits: • Accountability of the fissile materials; • Control of the process flowsheet; • Information on flow parameters, solution composition, and chemical speciation; • Enhanced performance by eliminating the need for traditional analytical “grab samples”; • Improvement of operational and criticality safety; • Elimination of human error. The objective of our project is to use a system of flow, chemical composition, and physical property measurement techniques for developing on-line real-time monitoring systems for the UREX process streams. We will use our past experience in adapting and deploying Raman spectrometer combined with Coriolis meters and conductivity probes in developing a deployable prototype monitor for the UREX radiochemical streams. This system will be augmented with UV-vis-NIR spectrophotomter. Flow, temperature, density, and chemical composition and concentration measurements will be combined for real-time data analysis during processing. Currently emphasis of our research is placed on evaluation of the commercial instrumentation for the UREX flowsheet.