Process for producing enriched uranium having a .sup.235 U content of at least 4 wt. % via combination of a gaseous diffusion process and an atomic vapor laser isotope separation process to eliminate uranium hexafluoride tails storage

Patent · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:869903

Horton, James A ^[1]

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1. Livermore, CA

An uranium enrichment process capable of producing an enriched uranium, having a .sup.235 U content greater than about 4 wt. %, is disclosed which will consume less energy and produce metallic uranium tails having a lower .sup.235 U content than the tails normally produced in a gaseous diffusion separation process and, therefore, eliminate UF.sub.6 tails storage and sharply reduce fluorine use. The uranium enrichment process comprises feeding metallic uranium into an atomic vapor laser isotope separation process to produce an enriched metallic uranium isotopic mixture having a .sup.235 U content of at least about 2 wt. % and a metallic uranium residue containing from about 0.1 wt. % to about 0.2 wt. % .sup.235 U; fluorinating this enriched metallic uranium isotopic mixture to form UF.sub.6 ; processing the resultant isotopic mixture of UF.sub.6 in a gaseous diffusion process to produce a final enriched uranium product having a .sup.235 U content of at least 4 wt. %, and up to 93.5 wt. % or higher, of the total uranium content of the product, and a low .sup.235 U content UF.sub.6 having a .sup.235 U content of about 0.71 wt. % of the total uranium content of the low .sup.235 U content UF.sub.6 ; and converting this low .sup.235 U content UF.sub.6 to metallic uranium for recycle to the atomic vapor laser isotope separation process.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 5419820
• OSTI ID: 869903
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

process
producing
enriched
uranium
235
content
wt
via
combination
gaseous
diffusion
atomic
vapor
laser
isotope
separation
eliminate
hexafluoride
tails
storage
enrichment
capable
disclosed
consume
energy
produce
metallic
normally
produced
sharply
reduce
fluorine
comprises
feeding
isotopic
mixture
residue
containing
fluorinating
form
processing
resultant
final
product
93
total
71
converting
recycle
isotopic mixture
uranium content
atomic vapor
enriched uranium
vapor laser
separation process
isotope separation
process comprises
laser isotope
uranium hexafluoride
metallic uranium
gaseous diffusion
residue containing
uranium enrichment
normally produced
comprises feeding
enrichment process
uranium product
diffusion separation
diffusion process
produce metal
producing enriched
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