Method for converting uranium oxides to uranium metal

Patent · Tue Jan 05 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5286971

Duerksen, W K

A method for converting uranium oxide to uranium metal is described comprising the steps of heating uranium oxide in the presence of a reducing agent to a temperature sufficient to reduce the uranium oxide to uranium metal and form a heterogeneous mixture of a uranium metal product and oxide by-products, heating the mixture in a hydrogen atmosphere at a temperature sufficient to convert uranium metal in the mixture to uranium hydride, cooling the resulting uranium hydride-containing mixture to a temperature sufficient to produce a ferromagnetic transition in the uranium hydride, magnetically separating the cooled uranium hydride from the mixture, and thereafter heating the separated uranium hydride in an inert atmosphere to a temperature sufficient to convert the uranium hydride to uranium metal.

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC
• Patent Number(s): US 4717420
• OSTI ID: 5286971
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050400* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Feed Processing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
ATMOSPHERES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERES
ELEMENTS
FERROMAGNETISM
HEATING
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MAGNETISM
METALS
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
REDUCING AGENTS
REDUCTION
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM HYDRIDES
URANIUM OXIDES