Spent nuclear fuel is added to an electro-reduction cell, wherein the electro-reduction cell includes a halide salt electrolyte, and anode, and a cathode including an alloy of uranium and a first metal forming a low melting point alloy with uranium, the first metal being one or more of: iron; chromium; nickel; manganese; and cobalt. The spent nuclear fuel is electrochemically reduced at a potential sufficient to reduce plutonium and lanthanides in the spent nuclear fuel, to form a molten alloy of the first metal, uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel. The alloy is extracted from the electro-reduction cell while uranium oxide is present in the electro-reduction cell. The spent nuclear fuel includes uranium oxide and at least 1 mol of lanthanides per tonne of uranium in the spent nuclear fuel, and the electro-reduction cell is operated at a temperature above the melting point of the alloy.

A method of direct oxide reduction includes forming a molten salt electrolyte in an electrochemical cell, disposing at least one metal oxide in the electrochemical cell, disposing a counter electrode comprising a material selected from the group consisting of osmium, ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, palladium, platinum, silver, gold, lithium iridate, lithium ruthenate, a lithium rhodate, a lithium tin oxygen compound, a lithium manganese compound, strontium ruthenium ternary compounds, calcium iridate, strontium iridate, calcium platinate, strontium platinate, magnesium ruthenate, magnesium iridate, sodium ruthenate, sodium iridate, potassium iridate, and potassium ruthenate in the electrochemical cell, and applying a current between the counter electrode and the at least one metal oxide to reduce the at least one metal oxide. Related methods of direct oxide reduction and related electrochemical cells are also disclosed.

A method of direct oxide reduction includes forming a molten salt electrolyte in an electrochemical cell, disposing at least one metal oxide in the electrochemical cell, disposing a counter electrode comprising a material selected from the group consisting of osmium, ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, palladium, platinum, silver, gold, lithium iridate, lithium ruthenate, a lithium rhodate, a lithium tin oxygen compound, a lithium manganese compound, strontium ruthenium ternary compounds, calcium iridate, strontium iridate, calcium platinate, strontium platinate, magnesium ruthenate, magnesium iridate, sodium ruthenate, sodium iridate, potassium iridate, and potassium ruthenate in the electrochemical cell, and applying a current between the counter electrode and the at least one metal oxide to reduce the at least one metal oxide. Related methods of direct oxide reduction and related electrochemical cells are also disclosed.

A method for reprocessing nitride spent nuclear fuel in molten salts comprises chlorinating the fuel in a melt of a mixture of alkali and/or alkaline earth metal chlorides containing cadmium dichloride. The chlorination is carried out in an apparatus for reprocessing nitride spent nuclear fuel using an inert gas atmosphere The apparatus has a heated zone containing a reactor with molten chlorides and nitride spent nuclear fuel submerged therein, and also a cold zone arranged under the reactor. In the chlorination process, the zone of the apparatus containing the reactor is heated to a temperature greater than 700 C., the nitride spent nuclear fuel is kept in the melt until fully chlorinated. The cold zone of the apparatus is used for crystallizing metallic cadmium which forms during the chlorination.

The present invention relates to a spent fuel dry reprocessing method for directly obtaining a zirconium alloy nuclear fuel, comprising: determining components and a ratio of a molten salt composition used for melting a spent fuel according to a requirement of reactor design on a zirconium alloy fuel and contents of actinium series metals in the spent fuel; melting the spent fuel in the above molten salt composition; and selecting an electrode pair for electrodeposition so that zirconium in the molten salt composition and uranium ions in the spent fuel or uranium and other actinium series metal ions are subjected to co-deposition, thereby obtaining the zirconium alloy nuclear fuel meeting a design requirement. The spent fuel dry reprocessing method provided by the invention is suitable for oxide spent fuel and metal spent fuel, and is simple and controllable in process, low in energy consumption, low in cost and easy to industrialize.

The present invention relates to a spent fuel dry reprocessing method for directly obtaining a zirconium alloy nuclear fuel, comprising: determining components and a ratio of a molten salt composition used for melting a spent fuel according to a requirement of reactor design on a zirconium alloy fuel and contents of actinium series metals in the spent fuel; melting the spent fuel in the above molten salt composition; and selecting an electrode pair for electrodeposition so that zirconium in the molten salt composition and uranium ions in the spent fuel or uranium and other actinium series metal ions are subjected to co-deposition, thereby obtaining the zirconium alloy nuclear fuel meeting a design requirement. The spent fuel dry reprocessing method provided by the invention is suitable for oxide spent fuel and metal spent fuel, and is simple and controllable in process, low in energy consumption, low in cost and easy to industrialize.

There is described a method of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. The spent nuclear fuel is added to an electro-reduction cell containing a halide salt electrolyte at a temperature above the melting point of the metallic form of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel. The cell is operated so as to electrochemically reduce the spent nuclear fuel to an alloy of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel, wherein electrochemical reduction is continued until a concentration of unreduced components of the spent nuclear fuel is sufficiently low for the ahoy to agglomerate.

There is described a method of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. The spent nuclear fuel is added to an electro-reduction cell containing a halide salt electrolyte at a temperature above the melting point of the metallic form of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel. The cell is operated so as to electrochemically reduce the spent nuclear fuel to an alloy of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel, wherein electrochemical reduction is continued until a concentration of unreduced components of the spent nuclear fuel is sufficiently low for the ahoy to agglomerate.

There is described a method of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. The spent nuclear fuel is added to an electro-reduction cell containing a halide salt electrolyte at a temperature above the melting point of the metallic form of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel. The cell is operated so as to electrochemically reduce the spent nuclear fuel to form an alloy of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel, wherein electrochemical reduction is continued until a concentration of unreduced components of the spent nuclear fuel is sufficiently low for the alloy to agglomerate.

There is described a method of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. The spent nuclear fuel is added to an electro-reduction cell containing a halide salt electrolyte at a temperature above the melting point of the metallic form of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel. The cell is operated so as to electrochemically reduce the spent nuclear fuel to form an alloy of uranium and higher actinides present in the spent nuclear fuel, wherein electrochemical reduction is continued until a concentration of unreduced components of the spent nuclear fuel is sufficiently low for the alloy to agglomerate.