Two step dry uo2 production process utilizing a positive sealing valve means between steps

Abstract

The present invention provides a two-step process for producing nuclear grade, active uranium dioxide (UO2) powder in which the first step comprises reacting uranium hexafluoride (UF6) with steam in a flame reactor to yield uranyl fluoride (UO2F2); and the second step comprises removing fluoride and reducing UO2F2 to uranium dioxide (UO2) in a kiln under a steam / hydrogen atmosphere. The two-step process, each step separated by a positive sealed valve means to prevent gas, particularly H2 flow back, tightly controls the exothermicity of the reaction, which allows for a very tight temperature control which controls the growth of the particles and results in UO2 powder that is active and of consistent morphology.

Description

[0001]This present application is a Continuation-in-Part application that claims priority from U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 11 / 741,158, filed Apr. 27, 2007, and also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 833,232, filed Jul. 25, 2006, all of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to methods of manufacturing uranium oxide powder for use as nuclear fuel and, more particularly, to a two-step dry process for producing uranium oxide powder that eliminates the need for wet processing, and results in easy to handle UO2 powder and stable pellets.[0004]2. Description of the Prior Art[0005]The preparation of commercial nuclear fuels mainly has been by processes which use enriched and depleted uranium (i.e., enriched or depleted in the uranium-235 isotope compared to the uranium-235 content of naturally occurring uranium ore) feed as UF6. The enriched UF6 is conver...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0033](4) passing the unentrained initial product, uranyl fluoride particles and any UO3 and U3O8 particles through a positive, sealed valve means which passes powder, but prevents significant amounts of gaseous feedback from subsequent reactions in the second stage from entering into step (1);

[0040]A separate powder transport, such as an optional screw feeder or the like can be used between the positive sealed valve used in step (4) and the rotary kiln of step (5). These seals are not completely hermetic, however, they allow substantially less gas to flow back (about 94% to 95% less flowback) than a loose bed of particles, such as in a screw feeder. An optional, second, positive sealed valve can also be used between an optional screw feeder used to pass the initial product in step (5) and the actual rotary kiln of step (5). Residual fluoride as UO2F2 is less than 50 ppm and combined residual UO3 and U3O8 is less than 100 ppm total in the final UO2 of step (9). Blowback to clean the HF filters is standard practice and is constituted by short bursts of N2 at below sonic speeds, that is at less than 250 meters / second (m / s). The “active” powder of step (9) is capable of pressing to a density greater than 98.5 wt %. The term “active” as used herein means a UO2 powder that can be readily pressed into a pre-sintered (“green”) pellet that can withstand normal handling without chipping and cracking or end-capping and that when sintered produces a high density (>98% theoretical density) pellet without excessive chips or cracks or other flaws.

[0041]In the first step of the process, the steam to UF6 mole ratio can range from between about 2 to 10 moles steam per mole UF6, preferably from 4 to 8 moles steam per mole UF6. Varying the steam / UF6 ratio controls the temperature of the reaction which varies the properties of the UO2F2 powder that is produced as well as the final UO2 powder.

Problems solved by technology

While procedures for converting UF6 to uranium oxides are known, currently available procedures are not particularly efficient or economical for converting UF6 to UO2.

Furthermore, because of the need to control their ceramic properties and because of thermodynamic limitations, the known commercial conversion processes are either complex aqueous-based processes with multiple process stages or a one-stage dry process.

While the wet processes are easier to control, they produce large amounts of liquid wastes.

The single step dry process produces a minimal waste stream but is difficult to operate.

The UO2 product produced from this process tends to be very inactive and requires an intense milling step to produce moderately active powder.

In addition, there often is incomplete conversion of UO2F2 to UO3 / U3O8, which leads to unacceptable contamination in the final UO2 powder.

This likely is due to inadequate residence time and the growth of large particles in the initial phase which cannot complete the fluoride removal reaction.

The problem with these processes is the low feed rate due to the need to produce acceptable ceramic grade UO2 powder that can be made into dense UO2 pellets.

The powder produced is very active but hard to handle and produces very weak green pellets.

Handling therefore is delicate and rejects are numerous if special care is not exercised.

Part of the problem with this process is that two very exothermic processes occur in the same location at the tip of the mixing nozzle: (1) formation of UO2F2; and (2) some UO3 / U3O8 from the reaction of steam and entrained hydrogen from the surrounding atmosphere.

As the process flow rate is increased, the amount of hydrogen that is intermixed with the steam hydrolysis step becomes variable which produces large variations in the flame temperature and results in large variations in the powder properties.

The general problem with these processes is that step 1 production of UO2F2 is not, in fact, protected from H2 gas intrusion from step 2 formation of UO2 in a rotary kiln; and H2 intrusion into step 1 produces the variations in the powder properties described above.

with uncontrolled temperature which produces either unreactive or too reactive powder.

This method uses high value metal and therefore is not economically feasible.

In addition, this process produces a large amount of liquid waste that must be treated to remove the fluoride.

Disposal of these solids is difficult due to their origin in a nuclear facility.

The nitrate disrupts the ammonia recovery process due to the required addition of sodium hydroxide to free the ammonia from the nitrate.

Another problem is the carryover of NH4F in the dried UO3 / U3O8 product to the final calciner.

This process, however, is quite complicated, hard to operate and generates a UO2 product with much residual fluoride.

Notwithstanding the extensive prior efforts referred to above, there remains a substantial need for improved procedures for converting UF6 into solid UO2 that produces a highly active, ceramic grade UO2 powder at high production rates and which is easy to control, and which very importantly completely isolates steps where H2 reactant is completely excluded from initial first stage reactions, where it poses serious UO2 product variability problems.

Use of fluid bed processes are not an answer due to the issues with forming un-reactive, large solids and residual fluoride removal.

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