Separations Chemistry Quarterly Progress Report April - June, 1957

Technical Report · Fri Feb 28 23:00:00 EST 1958

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4331160· OSTI ID:4331160

Brand, G. E. ^[1]; Buyers, A. G. ^[1]; Gardner, W. J. ^[1]; Motta, E. E. ^[1]; Murbach, E. W. ^[1]

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1. North American Aviation, Inc., Canoga Park, CA (United States). Atomics International Div.

A scale-up experiment was carried out to study the Pu extraction from molten U by UF₄. A test operation in which six slugs were cold-short fractured is described. The analytical results of a previous oxide-drossing experiment show the following fission-product removals- 98% Cs and Ce, 95% Te, over 99% rare earths and Sr, and 1% Ru. The results of investigations in which Th-U alloys were melted and held at temperatures several hundred degrees above the melting point show that the evaporation loss of Pa is from 24 to 36% and that of U is up to 14%. An experiment is described in which Th-U alloys was dip- induction melted. Experiments undertaken to determine the solubility of Th in molten Zn are described. The results of an electrolysis experiment in which irradiated Th-U was electrorefined using a molten salt bath and liquid Zn cathode showed that 58% of the Zr, 79% of the Ce, 84% of the rare earths, 91% of the Ru, and greater than 99% of the Sr and Cs were removed. Experiments are described in which irradiated Th-U alloy was melted by induction heating and allowed to melt through frozen CaF₂. The results of these investigations show that greater than 80% of the Cs, Sr, and Te are removed. Rutheniumn, Pa, Zr, and U losses were negligible. Thorium losses to the salt bed approached 12%. (For preceding period see NAA-SR-1997.)

• Research Organization: North American Aviation, Inc., Canoga Park, CA (United States). Atomics International Div.
• Sponsoring Organization: US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• DOE Contract Number: AT(11-1)-GEN-8
• NSA Number: NSA-12-006521
• OSTI ID: 4331160
• Report Number(s): NAA-SR--2168
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
CALCIUM FLUORIDES
CATHODES
CERIUM
CESIUM
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELECTROLYSIS
EVAPORATION
FISSION PRODUCTS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
LIQUIDS
LOSSES
MELTING
OXIDES
PLUTONIUM
PROTACTINIUM
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
QUANTITY RATIO
RARE EARTHS
REFINING
RODS
RUTHENIUM
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SLUGS
SOLUBILITY
STRONTIUM
TELLURIUM
THORIUM ALLOYS
URANIUM
URANIUM ALLOYS
URANIUM TETRAFLUORIDE
ZIRCONIUM