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AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Department of Energy
InventorsRobert C. Hochel, Kathy A. Saturday
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A process for converting an actinide compound selected from the group consisting of uranium oxides, plutonium oxides, uranium tetrafluorides, plutonium tetrafluorides and mixtures of said oxides and tetrafluorides, to the corresponding volatile actinide hexafluoride by fluorination with a stoichiometric excess of fluorine gas. The improvement involves conducting the fluorination of the plutonium compounds in the presence of a fluoride catalyst selected from the group consisting of CoF.sub.3, AgF.sub.2 and NiF.sub.2, whereby the fluorination is significantly enhanced. The improvement also involves conducting the fluorination of one of the uranium compounds in the presence of a fluoride catalyst selected from the group consisting of CoF.sub.3 and AgF.sub.2, whereby the fluorination is significantly enhanced.
In the process of converting an actinide compound selected from the group consisting of a plutonium oxide, a plutonium tetrafluoride, and a mixture of said plutonium oxides and tetrafluorides, to the corresponsing volatile actinide hexafluoride by fluorination with a stoichiometric excess of fluorine gas, the improvement which comprises conducting said fluorination in the presence of a fluoride catalyst powder selected from the group consisting of CoF.sub.3, AgF.sub.2 and NiF.sub.2, whereby said fluorination is significantly enhanced.
In the process of converting an actinide compounds selected from the group consisting of PuO.sub.2, PuF.sub.4 and a mixture of PuO.sub.2, and PuF.sub.4, to volatile PuF.sub.6 by fluorination with a stoichiometric excess of F.sub.2 gas, the improvement which comprises conducting said fluorination in the presence of a fluoride catalyst powder selected from the group consisting of CoF.sub.3, AgF.sub.2 and NiF.sub.2, whereby said fluorination is significantly enhanced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.