Comparison of phosgene, chlorine, and hydrogen chloride as reagents for converting molten CaO. CaCl/sub 2/ to CaCl/sub 2/

Technical Report · Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:6390639

Fife, K W; Bowersox, D F; McCormick, E D

One method used at Los Alamos for preparing impure plutonium metal from the impure oxide is batch reduction with calcium metal at 850/sup 0/C in a CaCl/sub 2/ solvent. The solvent salt from this reduction is currently discarded as low-level radioactive waste only because it is saturated with the CaO by-product. We have demonstrated a pyrochemical technique for converting the CaO to CaCl/sub 2/, thereby incorporating solvent recycle into the batch reduction process. We discuss the effectiveness of HCl, Cl/sub 2/, and COCl/sub 2/ as chlorinating agents and present initial data on regenerating and recycling actual, spent-solvent salts. 6 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6390639
• Report Number(s): LA-10523-MS; ON: DE86003292
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CALCIUM CHLORIDES
REGENERATION
SOLVENT PROPERTIES
CALCIUM OXIDES
CHLORINATION
CHLORINE
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
PHOSGENE
PLUTONIUM
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE
REDUCTION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
IMPURITIES
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MATERIALS RECOVERY
PYROCHEMICAL REPROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RECYCLING
VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM HALIDES
CARBONIC ACID DERIVATIVES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ELEMENTS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HALOGENATION
HALOGENS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METALS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RECOVERY
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SYNTHESIS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
400201* - Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
400301 - Organic Chemistry- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties- (-1987)
050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
052001 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing