Another use for platinum.... that is non-recoverable

tincup

Not sure how many were aware that platinum (and rhodium) are used in nuclear power plants.

In a process called noble metals injection, a platinum solution is injected into the reactor, where it deposits on the radioactive fuel and other reactor components. This acts as a catalyst to change the chemistry environment, to a favorable condition that will minimize a certain type of corrosion that can cause cracking. Eventually, the platinum wears off, so the process has to be repeated to keep the effect. This is normally around once per year. How much is injected? Well, the process is proprietary and has patents, so this info would probably fall under that. But.... there is a lot of volume inside of a reactor system, and to ensure a decent deposition would probably take more than a couple of ounces! Which of course is non-recoverable.

Not all BWR plants are doing this at this time... but most likely will since this has been proven to be a very effective method. So.... do some basic math estimation. There are 35 BWR plants in the US of A.... and around 94 or so world wide. If each plant does this once per year.... that starts to get to be a lot of plat that is being used up! Then figure over a 10, 20 year period.......

Some of the plants are currently using an older method where the solution is a mixture of plat/rhodium.... and greater quantities are used. Again, all non-recoverable. These methods are proprietary and have patents.... but a little searching through google gives some info on it.

secondrepublic

any ballpark idea how much is being used up?

MrOrganic

All other countries besides the U.S. are building nuclear plants like mad!

tincup

<< <i>any ballpark idea how much is being used up? >>




I might..... but remember it is a proprietary/patented process.

I would speculate.... that if each BWR in the US used the process for 10 years...... the amount of plat used would be able to wipe out the entire mintages of the 2008 burnished W eagles including fractionals. It also depends on other factors like size of reactor, temperatures, operating history, other processes in use, so each system is different. So amounts might be significantly more.... or less.

Huge numbers? Depends on how you look at it. Remember, this plat (and rhodium in some cases) is non-recoverable. Some of it is converted into other elements inside the reactor, and what doesn't will eventually end up as radioactive waste and the plat would be so diffused as to make it virtually undetectable. As if anyone would even want to try to handle the stuff let alone try to attempt a virtually impossible recycling job!

The main point of my post is that while we tend to think that all of platinum is mostly 100% recyclable..... there are instance where it definitely is not. Smaller amounts are being mined, and there is some that is disappearing from the finite supply on hand. Maybe holding on to any platinum eagles might be a good investment!

Overdate

<< <i>I would speculate.... that if each BWR in the US used the process for 10 years...... the amount of plat used would be able to wipe out the entire mintages of the 2008 burnished W eagles including fractionals. >>



I calculate that to be less than 5500 ounces, or 550 ounces per year. I don't think it would be likely to have much effect on the price of platinum, because several million ounces are mined each year.