Method for treating a nuclear process off-gas stream
Disclosed is a method for selectively removing and recovering the noble gas and other gaseous components typically emitted during nuclear process operations. The method is adaptable and useful for treating dissolver off-gas effluents released during reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels whereby to permit radioactive contaminant recovery prior to releasing the remaining off-gases to the atmosphere. Briefly, the method sequentially comprises treating the off-gas stream to preliminarily remove NO /SUB x/ , hydrogen and carbon-containing organic compounds, and semivolatile fission product metal oxide components therefrom; adsorbing iodine components on silver-exchanged mordenite; removing water vapor carried by said stream by means of a molecular sieve; selectively removing the carbon dioxide components of said off-gas stream by means of a molecular sieve; selectively removing xenon in gas phase by passing said stream through a molecular sieve comprising silver-exchanged mordenite; selectively separating krypton from oxygen by means of a molecular sieve comprising silver-exchanged mordenite; selectively separating krypton from the bulk nitrogen stream using a molecular sieve comprising silver-exchanged mordenite cooled to about -140/sup 0/ to -160/sup 0/ C.; concentrating the desorbed krypton upon a molecular sieve comprising silver-exchange mordenite cooled to about -140/sup 0/ to -160/sup 0/C.; and further cryogenically concentrating, and the recovering for storage, the desorbed krypton.
- Assignee:
- Dept. of Energy
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4447353
- Application Number:
- TRN: 84-024705
- OSTI ID:
- 6418020
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 11 Sep 1980; Other Information: PAT-APPL-186303
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
OFF-GAS SYSTEMS
IODINE
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
KRYPTON
XENON
ADSORPTION
CRYOGENICS
DECARBONIZATION
DEHYDROGENATION
DEMETALLIZATION
DENITRIFICATION
DESORPTION
FOULING
GASEOUS WASTES
MATERIALS RECOVERY
MOLECULAR SIEVES
MORDENITE
SPENT FUELS
ZEOLITES
ADSORBENTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FUELS
GASES
HALOGENS
INORGANIC ION EXCHANGERS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MINERALS
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
PROCESSING
RARE GASES
REACTOR MATERIALS
RECOVERY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SILICATE MINERALS
SORPTION
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing