Patent ID: 8177952

Claim:
A method of preparing uranium metal via an electrorefining of uranium metal, comprising: applying a predetermined current to an anode electrode included in an anode basket receiving uranium metal segments containing plutonium and minor actinide and a cathode electrode of carbon material within a molten salt containing uranium trichloride; wherein 8-9 wt % of uranium trichloride is dissolved in the molten salt, wherein the molten salt temperature is about 500° C., and wherein the carbon material is one selected from the group consisting of graphite, glassy carbon and glassy graphite such that the interfacial distance of the carbon lattice is more than the diameter of a uranium atom; electrodepositing uranium to the cathode electrode in accordance with the reaction initiated by the applied current; detaching the uranium from the cathode electrode by self scraping, wherein the self scraping is caused by an intercalation of a uranium atom and the carbon material by the expansion of the interfacial distance of the lattice in accordance with the growth of the electrodeposited uranium and the decrease of the bond strength of the outermost carbon lattice; and collecting the detached uranium.