Method for controlling metal dissolution using an electrical current
AssigneeBattelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC
InventorsWILLIAM E. DANIEL, JR., JARROD M. GOGOLSKI, DANIEL J. FOLEY, RODERICK E. FUENTES
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Abstract
A process for dissolving a metal in an electrolytic acid medium using a catalyst. The process comprises applying a negative electrical current to the metal while the electrolytic acid medium is at a temperature below its boiling point to initiate a dissolution reaction, stopping the application of the electrical current, and allowing heat from the reaction to raise the temperature of the solution without the application of any external heat source.
Claims20
A process for dissolving a metal in an electrolytic acid medium using a catalyst, the process comprising:
- applying a negative electrical current to the metal while the electrolytic acid medium is at a temperature below its boiling point to initiate a dissolution reaction;
- stopping the application of the electrical current;
- and
- allowing heat produced from the reaction to raise the temperature of the solution without the application of any external heat source.
A process for dissolving aluminum comprising immersing the aluminum in a nitric acid solution containing greater than 0.001M mercury and applying an electrical current to the solution.
A process for dissolving aluminum during the recovery of a spent nuclear fuel, the process comprising:
- immersing a material containing aluminum and a nuclear fuel in a nitric acid solution containing a mercury catalyst;
- applying a negative electrical current to the material containing aluminum and a nuclear fuel while the temperature of the solution is below its boiling point;
- stopping the application of the electrical current;
- and
- allowing heat from the reaction to raise the temperature of the solution to its boiling point without the application of any external heat source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.