RADIATION DENSITIES AND TBP RADIOLYSIS DURING THOREX SHORT DECAY RUNS

A general equation was derived to calculate the total radiation dose received by the solvent in a pulsed column, assuming ideal mixing of organic and aqueous phases.With this equation and data from the fhorex short-decay runs, radiation dose densities and the amount of TBP that might be decomposed by radiation in the first cycle extraction column were calculated.The average radiation densities were 0.13-0.24watt-hr/liter, which would decompose 0.01$ of the TBP in the 40$ TBP-Amsco 125-82 extractant.The amount of acidic radiolysis products would probably be inadequate to precipitate thorium dibutyl phosphate in the 1A column at equilibrium, but would probably cause precipitation if the extractant residence time in the extraction section was increased by a factor of 3 over the 1.2-1.5 min that prevailed during the short-decay runs.