Ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor for uranium recovery

An apparatus for separating uranium from a mass of material, comprising:

• a plurality of ultrasonic counter-current screw extractors, and an acid delivery system;
• each ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor having a bottom and a top, and configured to accept uranium containing material at the bottom and acid at the top;
• wherein
• each ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor comprises a mixing screw, at least one source of ultrasonic energy, and a uranium containing material discharge at the top of the ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor;
• wherein
• the mixing screw is configured to transport the uranium containing material from the bottom to the top of the ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor, and to allow acid to flow from the top to the bottom of the ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor;
• the source of ultrasonic energy is configured to impart ultrasonic energy into uranium containing material and acid in the ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor;
• at least one of the ultrasonic counter-current screw extractors is configured to accept uranium containing material from the uranium containing material discharge of a different ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor;
• and
• the acid delivery system is configured to add acid to the top of one of the plurality of ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor, remove accumulated acid from the bottom of that ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor, and transport the removed accumulated acid to the top of a different ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor;
• wherein
• the apparatus further comprises at least one of:
• (a) a combustion chamber and a combustible material feed system, connected to the combustion chamber;
• and
• (b) a feed tank and a pump and an extraction mixer settler connected to the feed tank;
• wherein
• the combustion chamber is configured to combust material containing uranium and a fuel, thereby producing a combustion product containing uranium, and providing at least a portion of the uranium containing material;
• and
• the combustible material feed system is connected to the combustion chamber, and configured to feed material containing uranium into the combustion chamber;
• wherein
• at least one of the ultrasonic counter-current screw extractors is configured to accept combustion product from the combustion chamber;
• and wherein
• the feed tank and the pump are connected to at least one of the ultrasonic counter-current screw extractors, the pump configured to remove acid from the bottom of the at least one ultrasonic counter-current screw extractor, and pump the removed acid to the feed tank;
• and the extraction mixer settler is connected to the feed tank, the extraction mixer settler configured to treat material received from the feed tank in an aqueous phase and an organic phase;
• wherein
• the extraction mixer settler comprises an aqueous phase outlet, connected to a raffinate treatment system, and an organic phase outlet, connected to an organic phase reconditioning system;
• the raffinate treatment system is configured to treat raffinate waste from the extraction mixer settler;
• and
• the organic phase reconditioning system is configured to recondition the organic phase for the extraction mixer settler.