| 摘要 |
1347756 Production of uranium hexafluoride BABCOCK & WILCOX CO 19 April 1971 [9 March 1970] 23707/71 Heading C1A Uranium hexafluoride is reduced by contacting a stream of gaseous UF 6 (optionally in pulsating flow) with a pulsating flow of a gaseous reducing medium to produce solid particles of reduced products, the reducing medium (e.g. steam/N 2 or C 2 F 4 ) being supplied to the reaction in such a way that it discharges through the accumulated solid particles, e.g. of UF 4 or UO 2 F 2 . Preferred temperatures are in the range 450-600‹ F. In the illustrated embodiment UF 6 is supplied to the reactor 10 via pipe 13 and is mixed with reducing medium supplied to said reactor by means of pipe 12 arranged so that gas discharging therefrom deflects from the internal surface 14 of the reactor base and is distributed generally throughout the cross-section of reactor 10. The reducing medium (e.g. steam/N 2 ) is supplied via valves 23 and 24 and pressure vessel 20, and the operation of said valves being controlled by cycling mechanism 25 so as to cause a pulsating flow of medium to pass to pipe 12. The particles accumulating in reactor 10 may be removed, e.g. by overflow pipe 18 if the reaction is to be run continuously and are prevented from leaving via gas outlet 16 by means of filter 15. The reduction products specified are UF 4 or UO 2 F 2 but UO 2 may also be produced by subsequent reduction of UO 2 F 2 with a reducing medium containing free hydrogen at temperatures of the order of 1500‹ F. |
