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

NEW LABORATORY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ZIRCEX PROCESS

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4000618· OSTI ID:4000618

A new Zircex flowsheet is proposed in which the nonvolatile products from hydrochlorination of uranium-zirconium alloys are chlorinated with carbon tetrachloride, thereby avoiding the loss of 1 to 6% of the uranium observed in engineering development studies of the older flowsheet for STR fuel in which the hydrochlorination residue was dissolved in nitric acid. Other potential advantages of the new flowsheet include decreased corrosion and elimination of possible explosions between uranium--zirconium alloys and nitric acid. The uranium may be recovered by aqueous dissolution and solvent extraction or by gas- phase fluorination at 200 to 400 deg C of uranium chlorides. (auth)

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
NSA Number:
NSA-15-019459
OSTI ID:
4000618
Report Number(s):
ORNL-2992
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English