THE RECOVERY OF PROTACTINIUM AND URANIUM FROM MOLTEN FLUORIDE SYSTEMS BY PRECIPITATION AS OXIDES
In the conceptual two-region molten-salt breeder reactor, fissionable U/ sup 233/ is recovered from the blanket as the decay product of Pa/sup 233/. Since equilibrium concentrations of Pa would result in appreciable parasitic neutron absorptions, the advantages of thermal breeding could be realized to a greater extent by removing both Pa/sup 233/ and U/sup 233/ from the blanket mixture. Methods for recovering these materials from molten-fluoride mixtures by precipitation as oxides are presented. Small-scale experiments clearly indicated that it is possible to remove protactinium from molten-fluoride solutions by a process that appears to be surface precipitation of protactinium on beryllium oxide or thorium oxide particles. Protactinium was removed from molten mixtures of LiF--BeF/sub 2/--ThF/sub 4/ (87-18-15 mole%) by the addition of l to 2% by weight of solid beryllium oxide or thorium oxide. The removal efficiency was high when the initial concentration of protactinium was either in the range 1 to 2 ppb or 50 to 75 ppm. Uranium was successfully removed from solution in molten fluorides by use of a similar procedure. Approximately 2000 ppm uranium was precipitated from molten LiF -BeF/sub 2/- ThF/sub 4/ (67-18-15 mole %) by the addition of 3% by weight of beryllium oxide. Comparable results were also obtained using thorium oxide as the precipitant. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-18-013931
- OSTI ID:
- 4084837
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Science and Engineering (U.S.), Journal Name: Nuclear Science and Engineering (U.S.) Vol. Vol: 18; ISSN NSENA
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BERYLLIUM FLUORIDES
BERYLLIUM OXIDES
BLANKETS
BREEDING
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
DECAY
EFFICIENCY
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FUSED SALT FUEL
FUSED SALTS
GRAIN SIZE
LITHIUM FLUORIDES
MIXING
NEUTRONS
OPERATION
OXIDES
PERFORMANCE
POISONING
POWDERS
PRECIPITATION
PROTACTINIUM
PROTACTINIUM 233
PROTACTINIUM FLUORIDES
QUANTITY RATIO
RADIOCHEMISTRY
REACTORS
RECOVERY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STABILITY
SURFACES
THERMAL NEUTRONS
THORIUM FLUORIDES
THORIUM OXIDES
TRACE AMOUNTS
URANIUM
URANIUM 233
URANIUM FLUORIDES