Purex co-processing of spent LWR fuels: flow sheet

Purex co-processing of spent LWR fuel is investigated. In purex co-processing, uranium and plutonium in spent fuel are processed and recovered together as a single stream, while in standard purex reprocessing uranium and plutonium are obtained as separate streams. A two-step (co-decontamination and co-stripping) flow sheet for purex co-processing is devised; concentrations, recoveries and decontamination factors are calculated; and methods to co-convert uranium–plutonium nitrate to mixed oxide are reviewed. A closed nuclear fuel cycle in which at no point uranium and plutonium are separated from each other is reached.