EFFECT OF ALPHA-RADIOLYSIS ON TRUEX-NPH SOLVENT

An unexpectedly high degradation of the TRUEX (TRansUranic EXtraction) solvent occurred during the treatment of waste solutions from the New Brunswick Laboratory. The waste solutions treated contained approxima tely I g/L of Pu-239 and 20 mg/L of Am-241. Earlier studies of a-radio lysis using carbon tetrachloride rather than normal paraffinic hydroca rbons (NPH) as a diluent indicated greater resistance to radiation dam age than observed, For this study, the TRUEX-NPH solvent was loaded wi th Am-241 in nitric acid, irradiated with doses up to 3.5 Mrad, and mo nitored for decline in extraction capability as a function of absorbed dose. Results of this study are being used to improve the Generic TRU EX Model, a thermodynamic model that permits flow-sheet design for sol vent extraction processing.