Diluent Degradation Products in the Purex Solvent

A number of laboratory tests were conducted in which various impurities, known to be present in degraded Purex solvent, were injected into fresh solvent samples and the effects of these impurities tested in an operating miniature pulse column and in batch contactors. Common fission product elements which interfere in the Purex process were spiked with radiotracers and added to the aqueous phase samples with which the test solvents were contacted. Process controls and blanks were used to verify test data. Periodically, samples of the organic phase were withdrawn for analyses by radiochemical means. From the data obtained, a number of theories were postulated on the mechanisms by which diluent degradation products interfere in the Purex process.