LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION OF HAFNIUM FROM ZIRCONIUM BY TRIBUTYL PHOSPHATE

Technical Report · Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1951

OSTI ID:4332476

Beyer, G H; Peterson, H C

ABS>The removal of hafnium from zirconium is one of a number of operations required to produce high purity zirconium metal for use in nuclear reactors. Since the metallurgical operations involved in the production of zirconium must use the products of hafnium-removal processes, the choice of a process for hafnium removal must be integrated with subsequent metallurgical operations. The tributyl phosphate liquid-liquid extraction process removes hafnium from aqueous solutions of zirconium tetrachloride, yielding as final product recrystallized zirconyl chloride octahydrate containing less than 100 ppm of hafnium. If this extraction process, producing pure zirconyl chloride, were supplemented with an adequate metallurgical process for reduction to the metal, it might be possible to obtain zirconium more economically than by the conventional Kroll reduction. The results of separatory-funnel experiments, contacting equal volumes of solvent and aqueous zirconium phases, showed appreciable separation of hafnium from zirconium at various concentrations of acid and salting-out agent. With concentrations which gave encouraging separation in hatch experiments, three continuous, countercurrent extractions were made in a 7-stage mixer-settler apparatus which produced hafnium-free zirconium as extract and 80% hafnium as raffinate. An analysis of the lesser elements associated with the zirconium at various stages in the process indicates that extraction with tributyl phosphate, followed by a recrystallization of zirconyl chloride, should be capable of producing material meeting AEC specifications. (auth)

• Research Organization: Ames Lab., Ames, Iowa
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-82
• NSA Number: NSA-12-008363
• OSTI ID: 4332476
• Report Number(s): ISC-182(Del.); M-5742
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Decl. with deletions Sept. 22, 1955. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-58
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CHEMISTRY
ACIDITY
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
CONCENTRATION
COUNTER CURRENT
ECONOMICS
EXTRACTION COLUMNS
HAFNIUM COMPOUNDS
HYDRATES
IMPURITIES
KROLL PROCESS
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
LIQUIDS
METALLURGY
MIXER-SETTLERS
OPERATION
PRODUCTION
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
QUANTITY RATIO
REACTORS
RECRYSTALLIZATION
REDUCTION
SALTING-OUT AGENTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
TESTING
TRACE AMOUNTS
WATER
ZIRCONIUM
ZIRCONIUM CHLORIDES
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS
ZIRCONIUM OXIDES
ZIRCONYL COMPOUNDS