Patent ID: 7323153

Claim:
A reprocessing method by a fluoride volatility process using fractional distillation in which fluorine or a fluorine compound is subjected to a reaction with a spent oxide fuel in two stages to produce fluorides of uranium and plutonium, and recover uranium and plutonium as the fluorides using a difference in volatility behavior, the reprocessing method comprising the steps of: HF fluorination of the spent oxide fuel containing UO 2 and PuO 2 in the reaction thereof with hydrogen fluoride mixed with hydrogen to produce UF 4 and PuF 3 as a first stage, the HF fluorination step being carried out by supplying a hydrogen fluoride gas in a supply amount of 1.1 to 1.3 times the stoichiometric ratio and containing 10 to 30 vol % of hydrogen to a fluidized bed furnace operated in the temperature range of 350 to 430° C.; F 2 fluorination of UF 4 and PuF 3 in the reaction thereof with fluorine gas to produce UF 6 and PuF 6 as a second stage; and separation and volatilization of the resulting UF 6 and PuF 6 by fractionally distillating them due to a difference in phase change therebetween to remove a part of UF 6 as gas, and then volatilizing the remaining UF 6 and PuF 6 at the same time.