Process for separating zirconium isotopes
A method is described of separating a feed stream consisting essentially of an aqueous solution of a mixture of /sup 90/Zr and /sup 91 to 96/Zr salts selected from group consisting of thiocyanate, nitrate, sulfate, chloride, perchlorate, and mixtures thereof, into two aqueous product streams, each containing both a /sup 90/Zr isotopic portion and a /sup 91 to 96/Zr isotopic portion, but in different ratios. The method consists of: (A) contacting the feed stream with methylisobutyl ketone or an organic water-immiscible solvent containing an extractant medium selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium salts, organic phosphonates, organic phosphinates, organic phosphates, organic sulfonates, primary amines, tertiary amines, polyethers, betadiketones, and mixtures thereof, that preferentially extracts one of the isotopic portions, leaving an aqueous raffinate depleted in that isotopic portions and enriched in the other isotopic portion; (B) stripping the organic solvent of its zirconium with an aqueous acidic strip medium to produce a first aqueous product stream; (C) recycling the stripped organic solvent to step (A); (D) evaporating water from a portion of the aqueous raffinate to produce a concentrated aqueous raffinate and a second aqueous product stream; and (E) recycling the concentrated aqueous raffinate to the feed stream.
- Assignee:
- Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4584183
- OSTI ID:
- 5844765
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
070100* -- Physical Isotope Separation
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
400703 -- Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry-- Radioisotope Production
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
ANTITHYROID DRUGS
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CARBONIC ACID DERIVATIVES
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
DISPERSIONS
DRUGS
EVAPORATION
EXTRACTION
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HORMONE ANTAGONISTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
ISOTOPES
KETONES
MIXTURES
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SOLVENTS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERCHLORATES
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
RECYCLING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SOLVENTS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
THIOCYANATES
WATER
ZIRCONIUM ISOTOPES