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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Flowsheet No. 1: Cesium isolation and packaging

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10102151· OSTI ID:10102151
An engineering flowsheet has been prepared for the conversion of an aqueous slurry of cesium-zinc-ferrocyanide into a dry cesium chloride product by the calcination process. Flowsheet No. 1 defines a six-step batch-type calcination operation for processing the slurry into a dry powder for offsite shipment in bulk containers. Some of the advantages to this process are as follows: Product losses are expected to be small, estimated to be less than 0.03 percent; the equipment required to process a given number of curies per batch appears to be relatively small, compact, and simple; the process does not impose severe requirements for materials of construction; and requirements for process control and instrumentation are expected to be simple. There are two disadvantages to this process. First, the cesium-zinc-ferrocyanide precipitate is not considered economically filterable, hence, the separation of solids from liquids is encumbered. Second, the process, as outlined, if potentially hazardous because of the possible nitrate carry-over with the influent slurry. This nitrate may cause a rapid reaction in the calcination step. It is concluded that this flowsheet offers a satisfactory scheme for isolating radiocesium if the process is modified to preclude the possibility of nitrates or other unwanted oxidants from reaching the calcination step. 1 fig.
Research Organization:
General Electric Co., Richland, WA (United States). Hanford Atomic Products Operation
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
10102151
Report Number(s):
HW--50241; ON: DE92003505
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English