Method for the production of uranium chloride salt
AssigneeU.S. Department of Energy
InventorsBrian R. Westphal, Robert D. Mariani
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for the production of UCl3 salt without the use of hazardous chemicals or multiple apparatuses for synthesis and purification is provided. Uranium metal is combined in a reaction vessel with a metal chloride and a eutectic salt- and heated to a first temperature under vacuum conditions to promote reaction of the uranium metal with the metal chloride for the production of a UCl3 salt. After the reaction has run substantially to completion, the furnace is heated to a second temperature under vacuum conditions. The second temperature is sufficiently high to selectively vaporize the chloride salts and distill them into a condenser region.
Claims23
A method for the preparation of uranium chloride salt comprising:
- (a) mixing uranium metal and a metal chloride with a eutectic salt in a reaction vessel;
- (b) heating the reaction vessel to a first hold temperature above the melting point of the metal chloride;
- (c) maintaining the first hold temperature at a first hold pressure for a period sufficient to react the uranium metal and metal chloride, wherein the first hold pressure is less than atmospheric pressure;
- (d) heating the reaction vessel to a second hold temperature above the melting point of the uranium metal;
- and
- (e) maintaining the second hold temperature at a second hold pressure for a period sufficient to distill the uranium chloride salt and allow metal consolidation.
A method for the preparation of uranium chloride comprising:
- (a) mixing an electrorefiner cathode product and a metal chloride in a reaction vessel, wherein the electrorefiner cathode product comprises uranium and a eutectic salt;
- (b) heating the reaction vessel to a first hold temperature at less than atmospheric pressure and maintaining the first hold temperature for a time period sufficient to react the uranium and metal chloride, wherein the first hold temperature is greater than the melting temperature of the metal chloride;
- (c) heating the reaction vessel to a second hold temperature above the melting temperature of the uranium metal and decreasing the pressure in the reaction vessel to a second hold pressure;
- (d) maintaining the second hold temperature and the second hold pressure for a period sufficient to distill the uranium chloride salt into a receiver vessel.
A method for preparing uranium chloride salt, comprising:
- (a) mixing an electrorefiner cathode product with CuCl2 in a reaction vessel, wherein the cathode product comprises uranium and LiCl—KCl eutectic salt;
- (b) heating the reaction vessel to a first hold temperature of about 650° C.;
- (c) maintaining the first hold temperature at a first hold pressure for a period of about 2 hours, wherein the first hold pressure is between about 100 and 760 Torr;
- and
- (d) additionally heating the reaction vessel to a second hold temperature of about 1200° C. and decreasing the pressure to a second hold pressure less than 10 Torr for a period of time sufficient to distill a uranium chloride salt product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.