PROCESS OF RECOVERING URANIUM FROM ITS ORES

Patent · Tue Feb 24 04:00:00 EST 1959

OSTI ID:4242594

Galvanek, P Jr

A process is presented for recovering uranium from its ores. The crushed ore is mixed with 5 to 10% of sulfuric acid and added water to about 5 to 30% of the weight of the ore. This pugged material is cured for 2 to 3 hours at 100 to 110 deg C and then cooled. The cooled mass is nitrate-conditioned by mixing with a solution equivalent to 35 pounds of ammunium nitrate and 300 pounds of water per ton of ore. The resulting pulp containing 70% or more solids is treated by upflow percolation with a 5% solution of tributyl phosphate in kerosene at a rate equivalent to a residence time of about one hour to extract the solubilized uranium. The uranium is recovered from the pregnant organic liquid by counter-current washing with water. The organic extractant may be recycled. The uranium is removed from the water solution by treating with ammonia to precipitate ammonium diuranate. The filtrate from the last step may be recycled for the nitrate-conditioning treatment.

• Research Organization: Originating Research Org. not identified
• NSA Number: NSA-13-015820
• Assignee: U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
• Patent Number(s): US 2875023
• OSTI ID: 4242594
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AMMONIA
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COOLING
COUNTER CURRENT
FILTERS
HEATING
HYDROCARBONS
KEROSENE
LIQUIDS
MIXING
NITRATES
PRECIPITATION
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
RECOVERY
REPROCESSING
SLURRIES
SOLIDS
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SULFURIC ACID
TECHNOLOGY
TEMPERATURE
URANATES
URANIUM
URANIUM ORES
WATER
WEIGHT