Magnesium fluoride recovery method

Patent · Tue Oct 17 00:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:5756271

Gay, R L; McKenzie, D E

This patent describes a method of obtaining magnesium fluoride substantially free from radioactive uranium from a slag formed in the production of metallic uranium by the reduction of depleted uranium tetrafluoride with metallic magnesium in a retort wherein the slag contains the free metals magnesium and uranium and also oxides and fluorides of the metals, the slag having a radioactivity level of at least about 7,000 pCi/gm. The method comprises: grinding the slag to a median particle size of about 200 microns; contacting the ground slag in a reaction zone with an acid having a strength of from about 0.5 to 1.5 N for a time of from about 4 to about 20 hours in the presence of a catalytic amount of iron, the reaction zone being maintained at a temperature within the range of from about 60{degrees} to 90{degrees} C. and the weight of ratio of slag to acid being within the range of from about 1:2 to 1:6 to produce a liquid product and a particulate solid product; removing the liquid product; treating the particulate solid product; and repeating steps at least one more time to produce a solid residue consisting essentially of magnesium fluoride substantially free of uranium and having a residual radioactivity level of less than about 1000 pCi/gm.

• Assignee: Rockwell International Corp., El Segundo, CA (USA)
• Patent Number(s): US 4874599; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 6-798080A
• OSTI ID: 5756271
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050400* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Feed Processing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360101 -- Metals & Alloys-- Preparation & Fabrication
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DEPLETED URANIUM
ELEMENTS
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
IRON
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MAGNESIUM FLUORIDES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS RECOVERY
METALS
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
RADIOACTIVITY
RECOVERY
REDUCTION
RESIDUES
SLAGS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM FLUORIDES
URANIUM TETRAFLUORIDE
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING