CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION, UNIT OPERATIONS SECTION MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT FOR MAY 1959

Technical Report · Tue Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 1959

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4182847· OSTI ID:4182847

Bresee, J C; Haas, P A; Horton, R W; Watson, C D; Whatley, M E

The measured diffusivity of uranyl nitrate in water at 25 ction prod- C was 0.7 x 10/sup -6/ cm/sup 2//sec with about 40% average deviation. A program was started to develop nonnuclear uses for depleted uranium. Two continuous DRUHM reaction runs were terminated due to erratic operation of the sodium metering system. In the second Fluorox run with crude UF/sub 4/ which lasted for 29 hr, a total material balance of 94.8% was obtained and 17.9% of the theoretical amount of UF/sub 6/ was collected in cold traps and chemical traps. Room temperature flow rate-pressure drop calibrations of a multiclone (thirteen 0.60-in. diam hydroclones in parallel) for installation with the HRT replacement circulating pump were completed. Mixed oxides of U : Th = 0.08 : 1 and all have low yield stresses of 0.02 to 0.05 lb/sq ft compared to 0.2 to 1.0 lb/sq ft for normal Th-U or Th oxides of 1.5 to 2.5 micron mean diameter. The rates of uranium anion exchange from solutions containing between 0.025 and 0.20 M sulfate were measured and apparent uranium diffusion coefficients between 1.2 x 10/sup -7/ cm/sup 2//sec and 1.6 x 10/sup -7/ cm/sup 2//sec were calculated. In bench scale studies, the Darex reference flowsheet was successfully applied to stainless steel-clad UO/sub 2/ fuels (Yankee Atomic) and to aluminumuranium foreign reactor fuels. The corrosion of titanium A-55 was measured in the vapor and liquid phases of a modified boiling Thorex dissolvent (13 M HNO/sub 3/, 0.04 M F/sup -/, 0.1 M H/sub 3/BO/sub 3/) containing 0.0, 0.5, and 1.0 M thorium from dissolved Consolidated Edison pellets and the maximum corrosion rate was 0.6 mils/ month. Siliceous filter cakes resulting from the filtration of Darex solvent extraction feed solutions through porous metal filter elements were easily washed to a uranium loss of 0.1% in the discarded cake. A run with an acid-deficient Darex-Redox feed containing soluble silica resulted in uranium losses higher by a factor of 20 than those previously obtained in the same column with a standard Redox feed. Batch leaching of sheared pieces, 1/2 in. to 5 in. long, of PWR reject UO/sub 2/ pellets clad with stainless steel, 0.40 in. o.d. with 0.10 in. wall, in boiling 10 M HNO/sub 3/ (173% excess) was completed in 70 to 245 min. Dissolution test runs of Zr-2 in fused salt made at approximately 700 ction prod- C under identical conditions except for HF feed rate resulted in dissolution rates of 1.87 and 2.68 mg/min-sq cm for 2.5 and 6.0 lb/hr HF feed rate, respectively. Purex and TBP-25 evaporated wastes were calcined at 900 to 1000 ction prod- C resulting in solid wastes which had densities of 0.77 to 0.83 and 0.40 to 0.45 g/cc, respectively. (For preceding period see CF-59-4-47.) (auth)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• NSA Number: NSA-14-010513
• OSTI ID: 4182847
• Report Number(s): CF-59-5-47
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-60
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CHEMISTRY
ALUMINUM OXIDES
BOILING
BORATES
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
CETR
COMBUSTION
CORROSION
CYCLONE SEPARATORS
DAREX PROCESS
DENSITY
DIFFUSION
DRUHM PROCESS
EVAPORATION
FILTERS
FLUORIDES
FLUOROX PROCESS
FUELS
GRAIN SIZE
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HYDROGEN FLUORIDES
ION EXCHANGE
LEACHING
LIQUIDS
MEASURED VALUES
NITRIC ACID
PELLETS
PUMPS
PUREX PROCESS
REACTORS
REDOX PROCESS
REDUCTION
REPROCESSING
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SODIUM
SOLIDS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
STAINLESS STEELS
SULFATES
THORIUM OXIDES
TITANIUM
TRAPS
URANIUM
URANIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
URANIUM OXIDES
URANIUM TETRAFLUORIDE
URANYL NITRATES
USES
VAPORS
WASTE SOLUTIO