Process for the production of uranium hexafluoride

Patent · Mon Mar 01 23:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:7192135

Ekstrom, A; McLaren, A B

The production of UF/sub 6/ in which UF/sub 4/ is reacted with air or oxygen in the presence of a catalyst at 500/sup 0/ to 700/sup 0/C is described. The solid by-product of this reaction is reduced with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst at 400/sup 0/ to 600/sup 0/C. Fresh UO/sub 3/ may also be reduced with hydrogen in the same reactor as UO/sub 2/F/sub 2/. The reduction product or products are reacted with hydrogen fluoride at 400/sup 0/ to 600/sup 0/C, producing UF/sub 4/ which would be recycled for further reaction to produce UF/sub 6/.

• Assignee: Australian Atomic Energy Commission
• Patent Number(s): US 3941870
• OSTI ID: 7192135
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050400* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Feed Processing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
AIR
CATALYSTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
GASES
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRODUCTION
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM FLUORIDES
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
URANIUM OXIDES
URANIUM TETRAFLUORIDE
URANIUM TRIOXIDE