Dissolution of a Mixture of Uranium and Plutonium Compounds

Results are presented of a study concerned with the dissolution of uranium and plutonium compounds, carried out to diminish the amount of wastes in the form of a scrap formed in manufacture of a mixed nitride uranium-plutonium (MNUP) fuel. The optimal conditions of dissolution in nitric acid of uranium and plutonium compounds contained in the scrap were determined. The influence exerted by the concentration of nitric acid, process temperature, and addition of fluoride ions to the solution on the dissolution process were examined.