On the Feasibility of Plasma Separation of Spent Nuclear Fuel Components in a Nonuniform Magnetic Field

A new concept of plasma separation of spent nuclear fuel components in a variable-cross-section chamber with a nonuniform magnetic field is proposed. Numerical simulation performed in axisymmetric geometry in the single-particle approximation have shown that, in a nonuniform magnetic field of <1....

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Published inPlasma physics reports Vol. 45; no. 5; pp. 454 - 458
Main Authors Smirnov, V. P., Samokhin, A. A., Gavrikov, A. V., Kuzmichev, S. D., Usmanov, R. A., Vorona, N. A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.05.2019
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Actinides
Atomic
Computer simulation
Fission products
Light elements
Magnetic fields
Mathematical analysis
Molecular
Nonuniform magnetic fields
Nuclear fuels
Optical and Plasma Physics
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Plasma Technologies
Radioactive wastes
Separation
Spent nuclear fuels
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Summary:A new concept of plasma separation of spent nuclear fuel components in a variable-cross-section chamber with a nonuniform magnetic field is proposed. Numerical simulation performed in axisymmetric geometry in the single-particle approximation have shown that, in a nonuniform magnetic field of <1.6 kG, at voltages of up to 100 V, and for a chamber radius varying from 20 cm to 60 cm over a distance of up to 1 m, spent nuclear fuel components can be spatially separated into three mass groups: actinides with masses of m  ~ 240 amu, used for subsequent recovery of the fuel; fission products with amu; and light elements with amu, which primarily include the structural materials and associated gases (nitrogen, oxygen). Separation of the latter two groups is important for practical use, because it potentially reduces the cost of the further treatment of separated radioactive waste.
ISSN:1063-780X
1562-6938
DOI:10.1134/S1063780X1905012X