Method for producing halogenated products from metal halide feeds
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for processing uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing an aluminum-based refractory lined reactor;
b) providing a nickel metal bath in said reactor;
c) directing said uranium hexafluoride into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the uranium hexafluoride to interact with at least one reactant;
d) directing said reactant into the reactor;
e) maintaining a carbon concentration in the molten metal bath of less than about 0.1 weight percent; and
f) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said uranium hexafluoride to react to produce recoverable uranium and fluorinated products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus producing halogenated products from metal halide feeds. In one embodiment, uranium hexafluoride is treated by separating fluorine from the metal of the uranium hexafluoride. Uranium hexafluoride is introduced into a molten metal bath under conditions whereby the uranium hexafluoride in the presence of hydrogen and oxygen can react to form a uranium dioxide and anhydrous hydrogen fluoride. The anhydrous hydrogen fluoride is removed from the molten metal bath as a gas stream and the uranium dioxide is discharged as a ceramic phase.
-
Citations
97 Claims
-
1. A method for processing uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing an aluminum-based refractory lined reactor; b) providing a nickel metal bath in said reactor; c) directing said uranium hexafluoride into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the uranium hexafluoride to interact with at least one reactant; d) directing said reactant into the reactor; e) maintaining a carbon concentration in the molten metal bath of less than about 0.1 weight percent; and f) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said uranium hexafluoride to react to produce recoverable uranium and fluorinated products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery.
-
-
2. A method for producing a halogenated product from a metal halide feed comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing a reactor containing a molten metal bath, said molten metal bath having a free energy of halogenation, under the temperature and halide partial pressure conditions of the reactor, greater than that of the metal halide feed; b) directing said metal halide feed into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the metal halide to interact with a halogenated product-forming reactant; c) directing said halogenated product-forming reactant into the reactor; and d) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said metal halide feed to react with the reactant, thereby forming a halogenated product, whereby the halogenated product is discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97)
-
-
17. A method for producing a non-halogenated product from a metal halide feed, comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing a reactor containing a molten metal bath, said molten metal bath having a free energy of halogenation, under the temperature and halide partial pressure conditions of the reactor, greater than that of the metal halide feed; b) directing said metal halide feed into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the metal halide to interact with a non-halogenated product-forming reactant; c) directing said non-halogenated product-forming reactant into the reactor; and d) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said metal halide feed to react with reactant, thereby forming a non-halogenated product, whereby the non-halogenated product is discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A method for processing at least one uranium fluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing a reactor containing a molten metal bath, said molten metal bath having a free energy of fluorination, under the temperature and fluorine partial pressure conditions of the reactor, greater than that of the uranium fluoride; b) directing said uranium fluoride into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the uranium fluorides to interact with at least one product-forming reactant; c) directing said product-forming reactant into the reactor; and d) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said uranium fluorides to react with the product-forming reactant to produce recoverable uranium and fluorinated products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery.
-
-
23. A method for processing uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing a graphite-lined reactor; b) providing a molten metal bath in said reactor, said molten metal bath having a free energy of fluorination, under the temperature and fluorine partial pressure conditions of the reactor, greater than that of the uranium hexafluoride; c) directing said uranium hexafluoride into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the uranium hexafluoride to interact with at least one product-forming reactant; d) directing said product-forming reactant into the reactor; and e) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said uranium hexafluoride to react to produce recoverable uranium and fluorinated products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery.
-
-
24. A method for processing uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing a graphite-lined reactor; b) providing a molten metal bath in said reactor, said molten metal bath having a free energy of fluorination, under the temperature and fluorine partial pressure conditions of the reactor, greater than that of the uranium hexafluoride; c) directing said uranium hexafluoride into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the uranium hexafluoride to interact with at least one product-forming reactant; d) directing said product-forming reactant into the reactor; e) maintaining a carbon concentration at about the equilibrium solubility of carbon in the bath metal; and f) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said uranium hexafluoride to react to produce recoverable uranium and fluorinated products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery.
-
-
25. A method for processing uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing a lanthanum boride-lined reactor; b) providing a molten metal bath in said reactor, said molten metal bath having a free energy of fluorination, under the temperature and fluorine partial pressure conditions of the reactor, greater than that of the uranium hexafluoride; c) directing said uranium hexafluoride into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the uranium hexafluoride to interact with at least one product-forming reactant; d) directing said product-forming reactant into the reactor; and e) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said uranium hexafluoride to react to produce recoverable uranium and fluorinated products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery.
-
-
26. A method for processing uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing a graphite-lined reactor; b) providing a molten metal bath in said reactor, said molten metal bath having a free energy of fluorination, under the temperature and fluorine partial pressure conditions of the reactor, greater than that of the uranium hexafluoride; c) directing said uranium hexafluoride into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the uranium hexafluoride to interact with at least one product-forming reactant; d) directing said product-forming reactant into the reactor; and e) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said uranium hexafluoride to react to produce recoverable uranium and anhydrous hydrogen fluoride products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery.
-
-
27. A method for processing uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing a graphite-lined reactor; b) providing a molten metal bath in said reactor, said molten metal bath having a free energy of fluorination, under the temperature and fluorine partial pressure conditions of the reactor, greater than that of the uranium hexafluoride; c) directing said uranium hexafluoride into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the uranium hexafluoride to interact with at least one product-forming reactant; d) directing said product-forming reactant into the reactor; and e) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said uranium hexafluoride to react to produce recoverable uranium oxide and calcium fluoride products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery.
-
-
28. A method for processing uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing a graphite-lined reactor; b) providing a copper metal bath in said reactor; c) directing said uranium hexafluoride into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the uranium hexafluoride to interact with at least one reactant; d) directing said reactant into the reactor; and e) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said uranium hexafluoride to react to produce recoverable uranium and fluorinated products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery.
-
-
29. A method for processing uranium hexafluoride comprising the step of:
-
a) providing a reactor containing a molten metal bath, said molten metal bath having a free energy of fluorination, under the temperature and fluorine partial pressure condition of the reactor, greater than that of said uranium hexafluoride; b) directing said uranium hexafluoride into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the uranium hexafluoride to interact with at least one reactant; c) directing said reactant into the reactor; and e) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said uranium hexafluoride to react to produce recoverable uranium metal and fluorinated products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
-
-
33. A method for proceeding iron chlorides, comprising the steps of:
-
a) providing a reactor containing a molten metal bath, said molten metal bath having a free energy of chlorination, under the temperature and chlorine partial pressure conditions of the reactor, greater than that of the iron chlorides; b) directing said iron chlorides into the molten metal bath at a rate and condition which causes the iron chlorides to interact with a reactant; c) directing said reactant into the reactor; and d) establishing and maintaining conditions in said reactor to cause said iron chlorides to react to product recoverable iron and chlorinated products, whereby the products are discharged from the molten metal bath for subsequent recovery. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
-
-
43. A method for treating uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) directing the uranium hexafluoride into a molten metal bath; and b) directing a chemical reactant into the molten metal bath, whereby said chemical reactant reacts with the uranium hexafluoride to form a uranium product. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
-
-
60. A method for treating uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) directing the uranium hexafluoride into a molten metal bath; b) directing hydrogen gas into said molten metal bath, whereby hydrogen of said hydrogen gas reduces a portion of the uranium hexafluoride to form uranium tetrafluoride and anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, said anhydrous hydrogen fluoride being discharged from the molten metal bath; and c) directing a steam into said molten metal bath, whereby at least a portion of said uranium tetrafluoride reacts to form uranium dioxide and anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, said uranium dioxide separating from the molten metal bath, and said anhydrous hydrogen fluoride being discharged from the molten metal bath. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85)
-
-
86. A method for treating uranium hexafluoride, comprising the steps of:
-
a) directing the uranium hexafluoride into a molten metal bath; and b) directing a metal reactant into the molten metal bath, whereby said metal reactant reacts with the uranium hexafluoride to form elemental uranium metal or a uranium metal alloy, and a metal fluoride. - View Dependent Claims (87, 88)
-
Specification