Engineering Development of Fluid-Bed Fluoride Volatility Processes. Part 3. Fluid-Bed Fluorination of Uranium Dioxide Fuel Pellets

Abstract

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Reaction Model for the Fluorination of Uranium and Plutonium Compounds in Fluidized-Bed Reactors

“…The remote head diaphragm pump is available in three of the systems to recycle off-gases for better utilization of fluorine. While this pump can be used during the fluorination of uranium, its primary function is to recycle gas to the reactor during the subsequent fluorination of plutonium (Anastasia et al, 1965(Anastasia et al, , 1968b. The range of variables for the fluorination of uranium were: temperature, 200°to 525°C ; reactant concentration in nitrogen, 10 to 35 vol % F2 and 10 to 20 vol % BrF5; superficial fluidization velocity, 0.5 to 1.5 ft per sec; and pressure, 1 to 2 atm.…”

“…The pellets can also be pulverized to fine particles of less than 20 µ diam (Anastasia et al, 1965) by oxidation prior to fluorination: 3 U02(s) + 02(g) -> U308(s) AH29g= = -26 kcal/mole U (2) U308(s) + 9 F2(g) -> 3 UFe(g) + 4 02(g) AH2a8. K = -226 kcal/mole U (3) Reactions 2 and 3 have been carried out in separate steps or simultaneously by a two-zone method of oxidation in a lower reactor zone and fluorination in an upper reactor zone (Anastasia and Mecham, 1965;Anastasia et al, 1965Anastasia et al, , 1968a.…”

Engineering Development of Fluid-Bed Fluoride Volatility Processes. Part 11. Off-Gas Analysis.

“…Two of the systems were used to process fuels containing uranium and plutonium. During processing, various process gas streams 12,16,17 have been monitored continuously for hydrogen, hydrogen chloride, fluorine, or uraniurn hexafluoride.…”

LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF FLUID-BED FLUORIDE VOLATILITY PROCESSES. PART XVI. THE FLUORINATION OF UO$sub 2$--PuO$sub 2$-FISSION-PRODUCT OXIDE PELLETS WITH FLUORINE IN A 2-INCH-DIAMETER FLUID-BED REACTOR.

“…The objective of this developmental program is to obtain the· technical data required for the design of an all-volatility, commercial reprocessing plant for power-reactor fuels. ·Fluoride-volatility processes have significant economic advantages over current aqueous reprocessing techniques because they (1) involve fewer and simpler operations with considerable flexibility in processing conditions, (2) result in radioactive waste which is mostly in solid form, (3) can handle short-cooled fuel or fuel with a very high burnup without radiation damage to the reactants, (4) produce UF6 (and PuF6) which is suitable as feed for isotope separation and/or reconversion as fuel, and (5) have less stringent criticality requirements than aqueous processes.…”