PROCESSES FOR SEPARATING AND RECOVERING CONSTITUENTS OF NEUTRON IRRADIATED URANIUM
Processes are described for preparing plutonium, particularly processes of separating plutonium from uranium and fission products in neutron-irradiated uraniumcontaining matter. Specifically, plutonium solutions containing uranium, fission products and other impurities are contacted with reducing agents such as sulfur dioxide, uranous ion, hydroxyl ammonium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, and ferrous ion whereby the plutoninm is reduced to its fluoride-insoluble state. The reduced plutonium is then carried out of solution by precipitating niobic oxide therein. Uranium and certain fission products remain behind in the solution. Certain other fission products precipitate along with the plutonium. Subsequently, the plutonium and fission product precipitates are redissolved, and the solution is oxidized with oxidizing agents such as chlorine, peroxydisulfate ion in the presence of silver ion, permanganate ion, dichromate ion, ceric ion, and a bromate ion, whereby plutonium is oxidized to the fluoride-soluble state. The oxidized solution is once again treated with niobic oxide, thus precipitating the contamirant fission products along with the niobic oxide while the oxidized plutonium remains in solution. Plutonium is then recovered from the decontaminated solution.
- Research Organization:
- Originating Research Org. not identified
- NSA Number:
- NSA-14-007471
- Assignee:
- U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
- Patent Number(s):
- US 2912302
- OSTI ID:
- 4175753
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-60
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
BROMATES
CERIUM COMPOUNDS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE
CHROMATES
FISSION PRODUCTS
FLUORIDES
HYDROGEN PEROXIDES
IMPURITIES
IONS
IRRADIATION
MANGANESE COMPOUNDS
NEUTRONS
NIOBIUM OXIDES
PLUTONIUM
PRECIPITATION
PREPARATION
RECOVERY
REDUCTION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SILVER
SULFUR OXIDES
URANIUM