TY - JOUR

T1 - A spectrophotometric study of cerium IV and chromium VI species in nuclear fuel reprocessing process streams

AU - Nickson, I. D.

AU - Boxall, C.

AU - Jackson, A.

AU - Whillock, G. O. H.

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - Nuclear fuel reprocessing schemes such as PUREX and UREX utilise HNO3 media. An understanding of the corrosion of process engineering materials such as stainless steel in such media is a major concern for the nuclear industry. Two key species are cerium and chromium which, as Ce(IV), Cr(VI), may act as corrosion accelerants. An on-line analytical technique for these quantities would be useful for determining the relationship between corrosion rate and [Ce(IV)] and [Cr(VI)]. Consequently, a strategy for simultaneous quantification of Ce(IV), Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in the presence of other ions found in average burn-up Magnox / PWR fuel reprocessing stream (Fe, Mg, Nd, Al) is being developed.This involves simultaneous UV-vis absorbance measurement at 620, 540, 450 nm, wavelengths where Ce and Cr absorb but other ions do not. Mixed solutions of Cr(VI) and Ce(IV) are found to present higher absorbance values at 540 nm than those predicted from absorbances recorded from single component solutions of those ions. This is attributed to the formation of a 3: 1 Cr(VI)-Ce(IV) complex and we report on the complexation and UV-visible spectrophotometric characteristics of this species. To the best of our knowledge this is the first experimental study of this complex in aqueous nitric acid solution systems.

AB - Nuclear fuel reprocessing schemes such as PUREX and UREX utilise HNO3 media. An understanding of the corrosion of process engineering materials such as stainless steel in such media is a major concern for the nuclear industry. Two key species are cerium and chromium which, as Ce(IV), Cr(VI), may act as corrosion accelerants. An on-line analytical technique for these quantities would be useful for determining the relationship between corrosion rate and [Ce(IV)] and [Cr(VI)]. Consequently, a strategy for simultaneous quantification of Ce(IV), Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in the presence of other ions found in average burn-up Magnox / PWR fuel reprocessing stream (Fe, Mg, Nd, Al) is being developed.This involves simultaneous UV-vis absorbance measurement at 620, 540, 450 nm, wavelengths where Ce and Cr absorb but other ions do not. Mixed solutions of Cr(VI) and Ce(IV) are found to present higher absorbance values at 540 nm than those predicted from absorbances recorded from single component solutions of those ions. This is attributed to the formation of a 3: 1 Cr(VI)-Ce(IV) complex and we report on the complexation and UV-visible spectrophotometric characteristics of this species. To the best of our knowledge this is the first experimental study of this complex in aqueous nitric acid solution systems.

KW - STAINLESS-STEEL

KW - NITRIC-ACID

KW - CORROSION

U2 - 10.1088/1757-899X/9/1/012011

DO - 10.1088/1757-899X/9/1/012011

M3 - Journal article

VL - 9

SP - -

JO - IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering

JF - IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering

SN - 1757-8981

IS - 1

M1 - 012011

T2 - 8th International Conference on Actinide Science

Y2 - 12 July 2009 through 17 July 2009

ER -