Progress and Development of Dry Reprocessing Technology of Spent Fuel in China

Dry reprocessing of spent fuel is a kind of separation technology with better adaptability and wider processing objects, which is a research hotspot in the field of actinides separation. Based on the electrochemical separation technology in molten salt, the United States and Russia established the flowsheets of dry reprocessing technology demonstrated by engineering scale hot test. Investigation on the fluoride volatility method was conducted about 40 years ago in China, and the basic theory and process research on the treatment of spent oxide fuel and molten salt reactor fuel cycle were carried out in recent years. In this paper, the progress of the research on molten salt electrolysis with rare earth, uranium and plutonium was summarized, as well as the separation and purification of uranium with fluoride volatility method in China. For the aim of the establishment of China's advanced nuclear fuel cycle system, suggestions for further development are proposed. © 2020, Editorial Board of Atomic Energy Science and Technology. All right reserved.