SUMMARY TECHNICAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY 1, 1958 TO MARCH 31, 1958

Technical Report · Mon Oct 31 04:00:00 EST 1960

OSTI ID:4184560

Simmons, J.W. ed.

Complete digestion and extraction evaluations of three feed materials (Can-Met, Lake Nordic, and Lakeside Monarch) are reported. The equilibrium curve for the system tributyl phosphate-water-nitric acid is presented to an equilibrium aqueous nitric acid concentration of 12M. Laboratory tests have shown that the presence of a degraded kerosene diluent in the tributyl phosphatekerosene solvent system has little or no effect on uranium equilibrium distribution in the extraction of uranium by an organic solvent, but increasing degradation causes an increasingly significant change in uranium distribution when the uranium is re-extracted from the organic solvent. A coalescer-de- entrainer test unit for aqueous and solids removal from primary extract (AP) stream was designed and evaluated in the refinery. Water, solids. and iron decontamination of the AP stream was achieved by the unit. Tests performed in a laboratory denitration pot have shown that: heat input during denitration of UO/ sub 2/(NO/sub 3/)/sub 2/ influences the residual volatile content of the product UO/sub 3/: increasing the sulfute content of UO/sub 3/ increases the sulfate content of UO/sub 2/ produced from it: and the laboratory denitration procedure is highly reproducible. Ammonium diuranate was precipitated continuously at a relatively low pH. The resultlng slurries filter and settle more rapidly than do those from batch precipitations at higher pH. Plant tests were conducted using 20% and 10% HF excesses instead of the usual 150% excess, in the production of UF/ sub 4/ from UO/sub 3/. These tests showed that a low HF excess results in a product of higher quality. A gas analyzer was fabricated that measures the HF in the H/sub 2/O-HF stream from a green salt (UF/sub 4/) reactor by measuring the conductivity of the condensate. Laboratory studies have shown the feasibility of processing uncalcined IRP tailings (low-uranium-content magnesium fluoride) in the hydrometallurgical system of the metals recovery plant. A small but significant increase in derby metal yield was obtained using Domal coarseground granular magnesium. Devices were designed and installed for regulating the flow of UF/sub 4/-Mg briquettes and charging them into the continuous reduction reactor. Fuel element surface quality is affected by the remelt cycle used in casting ingots in heated molds. Pass schedules for the rolling of U flat strips were developed. Hollow U tubing was produced by the "Rockrite" process from cast hollow billits. Spectrographic procedures were developed for determining tungsten, zirconium. molybdenum, niobium, palladium, titanium, and thallium in U/ sub 3/O/sub 2/. A rapid quantitative method was developed for the analysis of dysprosium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lutecium, samarium, turbium, thulium, yttrium, and ytterbium in uranium ores and concentrates. (W.L.H.)

• Research Organization: National Lead Co. of Ohio, Cincinnati
• NSA Number: NSA-14-015674
• OSTI ID: 4184560
• Report Number(s): NLCO-725
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACIDITY
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
CHEMISTRY
DECONTAMINATION
DISTRIBUTION
DYSPROSIUM
EUROPIUM
FUEL ELEMENTS
GADOLINIUM
GASES
GRAIN SIZE
HOLMIUM
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN FLUORIDES
IRON
LUTETIUM
MAGNESIUM
MAGNESIUM FLUORIDES
MEASURED VALUES
METALLURGY
METALS
MOLYBDENUM
NIOBIUM
NITRIC ACID
PALLADIUM
PLANNING
PRECIPITATION
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
RECOVERY
REDUCTION
SAMARIUM
SOLIDS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SPECTRA
SULFATES
TERBIUM
THALLIUM
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THULIUM
TITANIUM
TUNGSTEN
URANATES
URANIUM
URANIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM ORES
URANIUM OXIDES
URANIUM TRIOXIDE
URANYL NITRATES
WATER
YTTERBIUM
YTTRIUM
ZIRCONI