Conventional Laboratories: These “cold” laboratories are dedicated to the surface characterization of the materials used in the oxidation, dissolution, and fabrication experiments, as well as the synthesis, purification, and analysis of ligands included in all radionuclide separation processes. In this sense, blank dissolutions or extraction tests without radioactive isotopes are also carried out.
- Laboratory S1.18.
- Laboratory S1.20 (microbalance, TGA-DSC).
- Laboratory S1.25 (Preparation of solutions, synthesis and purification of ligands, extractor hood with rotary evaporator, viscometer, storage of laboratory reagents, etc.).
Ligand synthesis and purification
Historically, due to the limited capacities of both specialized personnel and the radioactive facilities of the HLWU/CIEMAT, the analyzes of organic compounds were carried out in collaboration with other institutions such as the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) or in the Department of Chemistry of the CIEMAT. This implied an absolute dependence on other groups with high economic cost and low productivity (~15 analyses/year). For this reason, the IR30 Ed12.S1.lab21 laboratory has been remodeled two years ago to install high-resolution liquid chromatography equipment coupled to a mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS, Bruker). At present, the HLWU is already capable of doing so using HPLC-MS.
The HLWU/CIEMAT has made a great effort with the hiring of qualified personnel as well as with the provision of specific laboratories to achieve independence in terms of synthesis and purification of new compounds or fragments of degradation. That is why new equipment has been installed and material has been acquired for the synthesis laboratory (Ed12.S1.lab25)
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Irradiation Loop
One of our Unit's main lines of research is the study of the stability of the systems used in hydrometallurgical separation processes in advanced nuclear fuel cycles. These studies have been carried out using the Náyade radioactive facility to simulate the radiation conditions to which the extractants will be subjected. The irradiations that have been carried out are static irradiations, which is still far from the real processes where there are dynamic systems where the different phases (organic and aqueous) are in continuous movement.
In order to simulate this continuous movement and simulate the real conditions that would occur in a real process, the HLWU has designed a dynamic system that contains the two moving phases called the irradiation loop. This system allows tests to be carried out simulating the real conditions that can occur in an industrial process in a centrifugal contactor. For this, the loop system is a complex system that must satisfy the requirements of the Náyade radioactive facility (4.5 m deep pool) and at the bottom of which there will be a reactor where both phases will be in contact. In addition, the materials used must resist both radiation and the solvents used (organic solvents, strongly acidic aqueous...).
Several experiments have been designed, as well as the design and manufacture of a new irradiation device (like the one in the image), using different materials for both reactors and pipes, fixings, connections, etc. A multitude of cold and hot tests (with and without gamma radiation, respectively) have been carried out.
I. Sánchez-García, H. Galán, A. Núñez, J.M. Perlado, J. Cobos. Development of a gamma irradiation loop to evaluate the performance of a EURO-GANEX process. Nuclear Engineering and Technology 54 (2022) 1623-1634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2021.11.024
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