Method for treating a nuclear process off-gas stream
Abstract
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 NOx, 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.degree. to -160.degree. C.; concentrating the desorbed krypton upon a molecular sieve comprising silver-exchange mordenite cooled to about -140.degree. to -160.degree. C.; and further cryogenically concentrating, and the recovering for storage, the desorbed krypton.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Science Applications Inc., La Jolla, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 864992
- Patent Number(s):
- 4447353
- Application Number:
- 06/384,307
- Assignee:
- The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21F - PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-77SR00979
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 1982 Jun 02
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- method; treating; nuclear; process; off-gas; stream; disclosed; selectively; removing; recovering; noble; gas; gaseous; components; typically; emitted; operations; adaptable; useful; dissolver; effluents; released; reprocessing; spent; fuels; whereby; permit; radioactive; contaminant; recovery; prior; releasing; remaining; off-gases; atmosphere; briefly; sequentially; comprises; preliminarily; remove; hydrogen; carbon-containing; organic; compounds; semivolatile; fission; product; metal; oxide; therefrom; adsorbing; iodine; silver-exchanged; mordenite; water; vapor; carried; means; molecular; sieve; carbon; dioxide; xenon; phase; passing; comprising; separating; krypton; oxygen; bulk; nitrogen; cooled; -140; degree; -160; concentrating; desorbed; silver-exchange; cryogenically; storage; selectively separating; gaseous components; containing organic; nuclear fuels; selectively removing; fission product; organic compound; gas phase; molecular sieve; water vapor; organic compounds; carbon dioxide; nuclear fuel; metal oxide; gas stream; spent nuclear; noble gas; off-gas stream; removing water; product metal; process operations; comprises treating; sequentially comprises; nuclear process; comprising silver; method sequentially; oxide component; volatile fission; gaseous component; gas effluent; radioactive contaminant; /423/976/
Citation Formats
Pence, Dallas T., and Chou, Chun-Chao. Method for treating a nuclear process off-gas stream. United States: N. p., 1984.
Web.
Pence, Dallas T., & Chou, Chun-Chao. Method for treating a nuclear process off-gas stream. United States.
Pence, Dallas T., and Chou, Chun-Chao. Sun .
"Method for treating a nuclear process off-gas stream". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/864992.
@article{osti_864992,
title = {Method for treating a nuclear process off-gas stream},
author = {Pence, Dallas T. and Chou, Chun-Chao},
abstractNote = {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 NOx, 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.degree. to -160.degree. C.; concentrating the desorbed krypton upon a molecular sieve comprising silver-exchange mordenite cooled to about -140.degree. to -160.degree. C.; and further cryogenically concentrating, and the recovering for storage, the desorbed krypton.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1984},
month = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1984}
}