Patent ID: 8097142

Claim:
A method of simultaneously removing uranium and transuranic metals from metallic nuclear fuel containing both uranium and transuranic metals in an electrorefiner comprising a solid cathode and an anode basket containing the metallic nuclear fuel and a molten halide electrolyte; the method comprising: establishing a potential difference between the anode basket and solid cathode, thereby creating a diffusion layer of uranium and transuranic ions at the solid cathode, a first current density at the anode basket, and a second current density at the solid cathode; establishing a ratio of anode basket area to solid cathode area dependent on the total concentration of uranium and transuranic metals in the molten halide electrolyte and the effective thickness of the diffusion layer at the solid cathode, such that the established first and second current densities result in both codeposition of uranium and transuranic metals on the solid cathode and oxidation of the metallic nuclear fuel in the anode basket; maintaining the first and second current densities at levels sufficient to codeposit uranium and transuranic metals on the solid cathode; removing deposited material from the solid cathode; and controlling the first current density at the anode basket to prevent substantial oxidation of the anode basket during operation of the electrorefiner.