Zirconium and hafnium tetrachloride separation by extractive distillation with molten zinc chloride lead chloride solvent

Patent · Tue Apr 12 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:7148572

McLaughlin, D F; Stoltz, R A

In an extractive distillation method for separating hafniuim tetrachloride from zirconium tetrachloride of the type wherein a mixture of zirconium and hafnium tetrachlorides is introduced into an extractive distillation column, which extractive distillation column has a reboiler connected at the bottom and a reflux condenser connected at the top and wherein a molten salt solvent is circulated into the reflux condenser and through the column to provide a liquid phase, and wherein molten salt solvent containing zirconium tetrachloride is taken from the reboiler and run through a stripper to remove zirconium tetrachloride product from the molten salt solvent and the stripped molten salt solvent is returned to the reflux condenser and hafnium tetrachloride enriched vapor is taken as product from the reflux condenser, the improvement is described comprising: the molten salt having a composition of at least 30 mole percent zinc chloride and at least 10 mole percent of lead chloride.

• Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA
• Patent Number(s): US 4737244
• OSTI ID: 7148572
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400201* -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
CONDENSERS
DESIGN
DISTILLATION
HAFNIUM CHLORIDES
HAFNIUM COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
LEAD CHLORIDES
LEAD COMPOUNDS
LEAD HALIDES
OPERATION
RECOVERY
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVENTS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
ZINC CHLORIDES
ZINC COMPOUNDS
ZINC HALIDES
ZIRCONIUM CHLORIDES
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS