Laboratory development of chloride volatility processes for the recovery of uranium directly from spent Rover fuel or from its combustion ash
Declassified 24 Sep 1973. Two chloride volatility processes for the recovery of uranium from the combustion ash from spent Rover fuel were studied in the laboratory. The fuel consists of graphite impregnated with uranium carbide. The cooling channels are of niobium carbide. In each method, the uranium is isolated as UCl/sub 4/ and it may be further processed by aqueous solvent extraction (Darex) or fluoride volatility methods. The combustion-- chlorination process involves burning the fuel elements in oxygen at 700 to 9O0 deg C and then chlorinating the uranium and niobium oxide products with 15 vol% CCl/sub 4/-85 vol% Cl/sub 2/ at 500 deg C. The volatilized uranium and niobium chlorides are collected at room temperature and then separated by selective volatilization of niobium chloride by controlled heating to 400 deg C. Uranium recovery is quantitative, and less than 1% of the niobium remains with the uranium. Corrosion rates for nickel or high-nickel alloys are expected to average about 0.5 mil/month through the cycle. The combustion-chlorination process should be reducible to large-scale practice because the reactions proceed readily, and the corrosion problems are minor. In the direct chlorination process, rough-crushed Rover fuel is treated with chlorinating and mixed chlorinating-- oxidizing gases at 800 deg C. Uranium and niobium chlorides volatilize and are separated as in the combustion-- chlorination process. Uranium recoveries are greater than 99%. About 40% of the graphite burns. Corrosion rates are excessive, more than 1 in./ month for metal containers. Consequently, direct chlorination is not presently reducible to large-scale practice. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- NSA Number:
- NSA-29-004987
- OSTI ID:
- 4407159
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL-3376
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Declassified 24 Sep 1973. Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-74
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
*SPENT FUELS- REPROCESSING
*URANIUM- SEPARATION PROCESSES
CHLORIDE VOLATILITY PROCESS
CORROSION
GRAPHITE
NICKEL
NICKEL BASE ALLOYS
NIOBIUM CARBIDES
NIOBIUM CHLORIDES
NIOBIUM OXIDES
ROVER REACTORS
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
URANIUM CARBIDES
URANIUM CHLORIDES
URANIUM OXIDES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems