APPLICATIONS OF ULTRASONIC ENERGY. Progress Report No. 9 Covering Period from April 1, 1958 to May 31, 1958

Technical Report · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1958

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4300666· OSTI ID:4300666

>Studies in aqueous precipitition of thorium oxalite under ultrasonic influence were continued. The smallest and most uniform oxalate particles, many of which were in the submicron region, were produced by fast addition of solid oxalic acid to thorium nitrate solution at a temperature of about 20 deg C followed immediately by 5 min. of ultrasonic treatment, or by fist addition of oxalic acid solution to thorium nitrate solution at 20 deg C followed by 30 min. of ultrasonic agitation. The shorter treatment time favors the former method. Ultrasonic leaching of a simulated cesium-bearing alumina waste with 0.01 N nitric acid solution was most effectively accomplished in a ''fixed-bed'' treatment vessel. Extrapolation of experimental data suggested that close to 100% of the radioactive material could be removed from 5 grams of waste in 24 hours by uninterrupted batch-type ultrasonic treatment, using 300 milliliters of nitric acid solution, or in 10 to 12 hours by continuousflow treatment using 9 to 10 liters of leaching liquid. With the view of applying vibratory energy to accelerate magnesium extraction of plutonium from uranium, preliminary experiments indicated tantalum to be a potentially satisfactory container materinl for the molten metal system; the tantalum resisted attack, under ultrasonic influence, by molten uranium-chromium alloy at temperature up to 950 deg C. Design and construction of a treatment array incorporating a tantalum vessel were initiated. Agglomeration of a dilute aerosol of solid submicron KCl particles (simulating highly radioactivc aerosol waste stream) in an ultrasonic standing-wave field, using an additive liquid aerosol to promote coalescence, indicated that close to 100% of the aerosol could be trapped by this method, although optimum conditions have not yet been established. Ultrasonic agglomeration in liquid systems using an annular standing-wave treatment vessel appeared promising. (auth)

• Research Organization: Aeroprojects, Inc., West Chester, Penna.
• NSA Number: NSA-12-012450
• OSTI ID: 4300666
• Report Number(s): NYO-7930
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACIDS
AEROSOLS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
ENERGY
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
LIQUIDS
MAGNESIUM
MEASURED VALUES
NITRIC ACID
OXALATES
OXALIC ACID
PARTICLES
PHYSICS
PLANNING
PLUTONIUM
POTASSIUM CHLORIDES
RADIOACTIVITY
SOLIDS
SOLUTIONS
TANTALUM
TEMPERATURE
THORIUM COMPOUNDS
THORIUM NITRATES
ULTRASONICS
URANIUM ALLOYS
VESSELS