Process for uranium separation and preparation of UO/sub 4/. 2NH/sub 3/. 2HF. [Effluents from UF/sub 6/. -->. UO/sub 2/ conversion]

Patent · Tue Sep 14 00:00:00 EDT 1976

OSTI ID:7143845

Dokuzoguz, H Z

A process for treating the aqueous effluents that are produced in converting gaseous UF/sub 6/ (uranium hexafluoride) into solid UO/sub 2/ (uranium dioxide) by way of an intermediate (NH/sub 4/)/sub 4/ UO/sub 2/ (CO/sub 3/)/sub 3/ (''AUC'' Compound) is disclosed. These effluents, which contain large amounts of NH/sub 4//sup +/, CO/sub 3//sup 2 -/, F/sup -/, and a small amount of U are mixed with H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ (sulfuric acid) in order to expel CO/sub 2/ (carbon dioxide) and thereby reduce the carbonate concentration. The uranium is precipitated through treatment with H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ (hydrogen peroxide) and the fluoride is easily recovered in the form of CaF/sub 2/ (calcium fluoride) by contacting the process liquid with CaO (calcium oxide). The presence of SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ (sulfate) in the process liquid during CaO contacting seems to prevent the development of a difficult-to-filter colloid. The process also provides for NH/sub 3/ recovery and recycling. Liquids discharged from the process, moreover, are essentially free of environmental pollutants. The waste treatment products, i.e., CO/sub 2/, NH/sub 3/, and U are economically recovered and recycled back into the UF/sub 6/ ..-->.. UO/sub 2/ conversion process. The process, moreover, recovers the uranium as a precipitate in the second stage. This precipitate is a new inorganic chemical compound UO/sub 4/.2NH/sub 3/.2HF (uranyl peroxide-2-ammonia-2-(hydrogen fluoride)).

• Assignee: Babcock and Wilcox Co.
• Patent Number(s): US 3980757
• Application Number: TRN: 77-000014
• OSTI ID: 7143845
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 14 Sep 1973
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
AMMONIA
RECOVERY
CARBON DIOXIDE
URANIUM
URANIUM DIOXIDE
PRODUCTION
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CALCIUM OXIDES
CONVERSION
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
PEROXIDES
PRECIPITATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
SULFURIC ACID
URANYL COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
ELEMENTS
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
MANAGEMENT
METALS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM FLUORIDES
URANIUM OXIDES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
050400* - Nuclear Fuels- Feed Processing