Device for purifying light impurities
By using membrane modules to separate uranium hexafluoride from light impurities in uranium enrichment production, the problems of complex purification processes and low efficiency in existing technologies have been solved, achieving stable and efficient separation of light impurities, reducing operating costs and improving automation levels.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHINA NAT NUCLEAR URANIUM ENRICHMENT
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-31
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-05
AI Technical Summary
The existing technology for purifying light impurities involves complex procedures, low separation efficiency, harsh separation conditions, long material unloading time, and heavy workload. Furthermore, the purification process involves phase change, resulting in a harsh environment in the process plant.
Before the material enters the receiving container, uranium hexafluoride is directly separated from light impurities using a membrane module. The separation of UF6 and light impurities is achieved through the separation membrane fibers, and they are collected separately, simplifying the process, reducing workload, and improving efficiency.
It achieves continuous, stable, and efficient separation of uranium hexafluoride from light impurities, simplifies the purification process, reduces operating costs, improves the level of automation, and optimizes the plant layout.
Smart Images
Figure CN121971964A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application belongs to the field of uranium enrichment technology, specifically relating to an apparatus for purifying light impurities. Background Technology
[0002] The products separated from the uranium enrichment plant are pressurized by a pressurizing device and then collected in a cryogenic air-cooled box for condensation. Because the product material contains some light impurities, these light impurities will accumulate in the receiving container as the receiving time increases, affecting the container's receiving rate and receiving capacity. Therefore, in order to ensure the quality of uranium enrichment products and continuous receiving, the product receiving container of the supply and receiving system needs to be cleaned regularly.
[0003] Currently, the purification of light impurities is mainly carried out by staged condensation, which has problems such as complex operation process, low separation efficiency, harsh separation conditions, long material pouring time, and heavy workload. In addition, the purification process involves phase change process, resulting in a relatively harsh working environment in the process plant. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a device for purifying light impurities, which solves the problems of complex operation process, low separation efficiency, harsh separation conditions, long material discharge time and heavy workload in existing staged condensation.
[0005] The technical solution to achieve the purpose of this application is as follows:
[0006] This application provides an apparatus for purifying light impurities, the apparatus comprising: a membrane module installed before the material enters the receiving container;
[0007] A membrane module includes a housing and separation membrane fibers disposed inside the housing; the separation membrane fibers are used to separate UF6 from light impurities;
[0008] The inlet of the membrane module is connected to the material, the product outlet is connected to the receiving container, and the impurity outlet is connected to the impurity collection device.
[0009] Impurity collection devices are used to purify exhaust gases.
[0010] Optionally, the area of the separating membrane fibers is determined based on the system product material flow rate and the membrane module purification efficiency.
[0011] Optionally, a filter is also connected between the material and the membrane module to filter impurities with a diameter greater than UF6.
[0012] Optionally, a booster pump is connected before the filter to pressurize the material.
[0013] Optionally, the impurity collection device includes: a primary refrigeration cabinet and a secondary refrigeration cabinet connected in series;
[0014] The primary and secondary refrigeration units are used to collect uranium hexafluoride.
[0015] Optionally, the impurity collection device further includes: a primary adsorption tower and a secondary adsorption tower;
[0016] The primary and secondary adsorption towers are connected in series at the outlet of the secondary refrigeration unit to absorb the separated HF.
[0017] Optionally, the impurity collection device further includes: a buffer tank and a vacuum pump;
[0018] The buffer tank and vacuum pump are connected in series at the outlet of the secondary adsorption tower to ensure the vacuum level on the permeation side and discharge the air that cannot be condensed and adsorbed into the exhaust gas system.
[0019] The beneficial technical effects of this application are as follows:
[0020] This application provides an apparatus for purifying light impurities, comprising: a membrane module installed before the material enters the receiving container; the membrane module including a housing and separating membrane fibers disposed inside the housing; the separating membrane fibers being used to separate UF6 from light impurities; the inlet of the membrane module being connected to the material, the product outlet being connected to the receiving container, and the impurity outlet being connected to an impurity collection device; the impurity collection device being used to purify the exhaust gas. This application utilizes a membrane module to directly separate uranium hexafluoride from light impurities, and then collects the uranium hexafluoride and light impurities separately, achieving continuous separation of uranium hexafluoride and light impurities in uranium enrichment production. This simplifies the process flow for purifying light impurities in the product, reduces workload, and improves work efficiency. It realizes continuous, stable, and efficient separation of materials and light impurities in uranium enrichment production products, and lays the foundation for subsequent optimization of the supply and unloading plant layout, reduction of engineering construction costs and operating costs, and improvement of system automation. Attached Figure Description
[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a device for purifying light impurities, provided in an embodiment of this application.
[0022] In the picture:
[0023] 1-Filter, 2-Receiving container, 3-Membrane module, 4-Primary refrigeration cabinet, 5-Secondary refrigeration cabinet, 6-Primary adsorption tower, 7-Secondary adsorption tower, 8-Buffer tank, 9-Vacuum pump. Detailed Implementation
[0024] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments described in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0025] The existing purification process involves first collecting all uranium hexafluoride (UF6) and light impurities produced by the system in a receiving container. UF6 condenses from a gaseous state to a solid state at low temperatures, while non-condensable light impurities, such as HF and air, accumulate inside the container. The receiving container is then periodically purified to remove the light impurities. During purification, a portion of the mixture of material and light impurities is first poured out through a purification valve into a buffer container. Then, utilizing the different sublimation points of UF6 and light impurities, the material is separated from the light impurities through staged condensation. During the purification process, all UF6 released from the receiving container condenses in the primary and secondary refrigeration cabinets, HF is absorbed by the adsorption tower, and air is drawn away by a vacuum pump and discharged into the exhaust gas system. This process suffers from problems such as complex operation procedures, low separation efficiency, harsh separation conditions, long material pouring time, and heavy workload. Furthermore, the purification process involves a phase change, resulting in a harsh working environment in the process plant.
[0026] Therefore, this application provides a method and apparatus for purifying light impurities. Before the material enters the product receiving container, uranium hexafluoride is directly separated from light impurities using a membrane module, and then the uranium hexafluoride and light impurities are collected separately, so as to achieve the purpose of continuous separation of uranium hexafluoride and light impurities in uranium enrichment production.
[0027] Based on the above, in order to clearly and in detail illustrate the advantages of this application, the specific embodiments of this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0028] See Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of a device for purifying light impurities provided in an embodiment of this application.
[0029] This application provides an embodiment of an apparatus for purifying light impurities, comprising: a membrane module 3 installed before the material enters the receiving container 2;
[0030] Membrane module 3 includes a housing and a separation membrane filament disposed inside the housing; the separation membrane filament is used to separate UF6 from light impurities;
[0031] The inlet of membrane module 3 is connected to the material, the product outlet is connected to the receiving container 2, and the impurity outlet is connected to the impurity collection device.
[0032] Impurity collection devices are used to purify exhaust gases.
[0033] It should be noted that membrane module 3 achieves material separation by utilizing the difference in molecular dynamic diameters of different substances. Based on the difference in molecular dynamic diameters between UF6 and light impurities, membrane fibers specifically designed for the separation of UF6 and light impurities can be developed. Then, a dedicated membrane module housing can be designed and manufactured according to the separation principle. Finally, the membrane fibers can be installed in the dedicated housing in a specific manner to form membrane module 3. No specific limitations are imposed here.
[0034] This application's embodiment demonstrates online real-time purification, requiring no human intervention, simplifying process operations, and improving operational efficiency. The elimination of material unloading enhances intrinsic safety and reduces operating costs. It not only increases automation but also truly achieves continuous and stable separation of uranium hexafluoride from light impurities in the product, laying the foundation for continuous material collection into the product container.
[0035] In one example, the area of the separating membrane fibers can be determined based on the system product material flow rate and the purification efficiency of the membrane module 3. Before installation and use in an actual system, it is necessary to calculate the total membrane area required for purification based on the system product material flow rate and the purification efficiency of the membrane module 3, select a suitable membrane module 3, and then modify the original material collection system and install the membrane module 3.
[0036] In some possible implementations of the embodiments of this application, in order to prevent the membrane module 3 from clogging and failing, a filter 1 may also be connected between the material and the membrane module 3 to filter impurities with a diameter greater than UF6.
[0037] Understandably, filter 1 can filter impurities such as solid powder. The filtered material then enters the membrane module 3, where the permeation characteristics of the membrane module 3 are used to directly separate uranium hexafluoride from light impurities. The separated uranium hexafluoride is collected in the receiving container 2, while the light impurities are collected in the impurity collection device.
[0038] In one example, a booster pump may be connected before filter 1 to pressurize the material.
[0039] In some possible implementations of the embodiments of this application, in order to prevent uranium hexafluoride from entering the tail gas system due to membrane fiber damage or other reasons, the impurity collection device may include: a primary refrigeration cabinet 4 and a secondary refrigeration cabinet 5 connected in series.
[0040] The primary refrigeration unit 4 and the secondary refrigeration unit 5 are used to collect uranium hexafluoride.
[0041] The primary refrigeration unit 4 and the secondary refrigeration unit 5 can be installed on the permeate side of the membrane module 3.
[0042] In one example, the impurity collection device may further include: a primary adsorption tower 6 and a secondary adsorption tower 7;
[0043] The primary adsorption tower 6 and the secondary adsorption tower 7 are connected in series at the outlet of the secondary refrigeration cabinet 5 to absorb the separated HF.
[0044] In another example, the impurity collection device may further include: a buffer tank 8 and a vacuum pump 9;
[0045] The buffer tank 8 and vacuum pump 9 are connected in series at the outlet of the secondary adsorption tower 7 to ensure the vacuum level on the permeation side and discharge the air that cannot be condensed and adsorbed into the exhaust gas system.
[0046] This application provides an apparatus for purifying light impurities, comprising: a membrane module installed before the material enters the receiving container; the membrane module including a housing and separating membrane fibers disposed inside the housing; the separating membrane fibers being used to separate UF6 from light impurities; the inlet of the membrane module being connected to the material, the product outlet being connected to the receiving container, and the impurity outlet being connected to an impurity collection device; the impurity collection device being used to purify the exhaust gas. This application utilizes a membrane module to directly separate uranium hexafluoride from light impurities, and then collects the uranium hexafluoride and light impurities separately, achieving continuous separation of uranium hexafluoride and light impurities in uranium enrichment production. This simplifies the process flow for purifying light impurities in the product, reduces workload, and improves work efficiency. It realizes continuous, stable, and efficient separation of materials and light impurities in uranium enrichment production products, and lays the foundation for subsequent optimization of the supply and unloading plant layout, reduction of engineering construction costs and operating costs, and improvement of system automation.
[0047] The present application has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. However, the present application is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present application. All content not described in detail in this application can be derived from existing technology.
Claims
1. An apparatus for purifying light impurities, characterized in that, The device includes: a membrane module (3) installed before the material enters the receiving container (2); The membrane module (3) includes a housing and a separation membrane filament disposed inside the housing; the separation membrane filament is used to separate UF6 from light impurities; The inlet of the membrane module (3) is connected to the material, the product outlet is connected to the receiving container (2), and the impurity outlet is connected to the impurity collection device; The impurity collection device is used to purify the exhaust gas.
2. The apparatus for purifying light impurities according to claim 1, characterized in that, The area of the separating membrane filaments is determined based on the system product material flow rate and the purification efficiency of the membrane module (3).
3. The apparatus for purifying light impurities according to claim 1, characterized in that, A filter (1) is also connected between the material and the membrane module (3) for filtering impurities with a diameter greater than UF6.
4. The apparatus for purifying light impurities according to claim 3, characterized in that, A booster pump is connected before the filter (1) to pressurize the material.
5. The apparatus for purifying light impurities according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The impurity collection device includes: a primary refrigeration cabinet (4) and a secondary refrigeration cabinet (5) connected in series; The primary refrigeration unit (4) and the secondary refrigeration unit (5) are used to collect uranium hexafluoride.
6. The apparatus for purifying light impurities according to claim 5, characterized in that, The impurity collection device further includes: a primary adsorption tower (6) and a secondary adsorption tower (7); The primary adsorption tower (6) and the secondary adsorption tower (7) are connected in series at the outlet of the secondary refrigeration cabinet (5) to absorb the separated HF.
7. The apparatus for purifying light impurities according to claim 6, characterized in that, The impurity collection device further includes: a buffer tank (8) and a vacuum pump (9); The buffer tank (8) and vacuum pump (9) are connected in series at the outlet of the secondary adsorption tower (7) to ensure the vacuum level on the permeation side and discharge the air that cannot be condensed and adsorbed into the tail gas system.