Photochemical removal of NpF sub 6 and PuF sub 6 from UF sub 6 gas streams
A novel photochemical method of removing reactive fluorides from UF{sub 6} gas has been discovered. This method reduces generated waste to little more than the volume of the removed impurities, minimizes loss of UF{sub 6}, and can produce a recyclable by-product, fluorine gas. In our new method, impure UF{sub 6}, is exposed to ultraviolet light which dissociates the UF{sub 6} to UF{sub 5} and fluorine atom. Impurities which chemically react with UF{sub 5} are reduced and form solid compounds easily removed from the gas while UF{sub 5} is converted back to UF{sub 6}. Proof-of-concept testing involved UF{sub 6} containing NpF{sub 6} and PuF{sub 6} with CO added as a fluorine atom scavenger. In a single photolysis step, greater than 5000-fold reduction of PuF{sub 6} was demonstrated while reducing NpF{sub 6} by more than 40-fold. This process is likely to remove corrosion and fission product fluorides that are more reactive than UF{sub 6} and has been demonstrated without an added fluorine atom scavenger by periodically removing photogenerated fluorine gas. 44 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/ER
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 6162248
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-900846-6; ON: DE91004416; TRN: 91-002162
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International symposium to commemorate the 50th anniversary of discovery of transuranium elements, Washington, DC (USA), 26-31 Aug 1990
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Theoretical studies of the structures and vibrational frequencies of actinide compounds using relativistic effective core potentials with Hartree{endash}Fock and density functional methods: UF{sub 6}, NpF{sub 6}, and PuF{sub 6}
Absolute intensities of infrared-active fundamentals and combination bands of gaseous PuF/sub 6/ and NpF/sub 6/
Related Subjects
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
NEPTUNIUM FLUORIDES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
PLUTONIUM FLUORIDES
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
FISSION PRODUCTS
IMPURITIES
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PHOTOLYSIS
REMOVAL
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
NEPTUNIUM COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM FLUORIDES
050800* - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
400500 - Photochemistry
400105 - Separation Procedures