Method for the control of the composition and physical properties of solid uranium oxides
First Claim
1. A method for controlling the composition and physical properties of uranium oxides formed in a high temperature chemical reactor having a reaction zone for the dry thermal conversion of UF6 comprising the steps of:
- 1) preheating gaseous reactant streams necessary for the conversion of UF6 to uranium oxides and HF comprising two or more gas streams wherein at least one of the streams is preheated to a temperature of 700°
-1000°
C. includinga) a first stream formed of a gaseous mixture of UF6 and O2, andb) a second stream formed of a combination of gases containing hydrogen selected from the group consisting of H2, H2 O, NH3 and CH4 and oxygen in a combined form selected from the group consisting of H2 O and CO2 ;
said reactant streams being of a preselected feed composition for control of reaction heat and to favor the formation of predominately one of said uranium oxides;
2) then mixing said heated streams; and
3) injecting the mixed reactant streams directly into said reaction zone while maintaining the temperature and pressure to optimally produce one of said uranium oxides with the desired physical properties.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a method for varying and controlling the chemical composition and physical properties of the uranium oxide solids produced by the thermal conversion of UF6. The method allows the production of predominantly UO2, U3 O8, or UO3 interchangeably from the same reactor simply by controlling the hydrogen and oxygen contents of the feed relative to uranium. The temperature profile of the thermal reactor is established by specifying the preheat of the feed prior to mixing, the feed composition, and the reactor wall temperature to thus vary and control the physical properties of the resulting solids according to the end use of the uranium product.
133 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for controlling the composition and physical properties of uranium oxides formed in a high temperature chemical reactor having a reaction zone for the dry thermal conversion of UF6 comprising the steps of:
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1) preheating gaseous reactant streams necessary for the conversion of UF6 to uranium oxides and HF comprising two or more gas streams wherein at least one of the streams is preheated to a temperature of 700°
-1000°
C. includinga) a first stream formed of a gaseous mixture of UF6 and O2, and b) a second stream formed of a combination of gases containing hydrogen selected from the group consisting of H2, H2 O, NH3 and CH4 and oxygen in a combined form selected from the group consisting of H2 O and CO2 ; said reactant streams being of a preselected feed composition for control of reaction heat and to favor the formation of predominately one of said uranium oxides; 2) then mixing said heated streams; and 3) injecting the mixed reactant streams directly into said reaction zone while maintaining the temperature and pressure to optimally produce one of said uranium oxides with the desired physical properties. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification