Method for recovering uranium from components contaminated with uranium oxide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11486023-B2
Application number	US-201916584995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2019
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

A process for recovering uranium from components contaminated with uranium oxide includes providing a cleaning apparatus with a cleaning solution for dissolving the uranium oxide of the components, carrying out a cleaning process by introducing a batch of components into the cleaning apparatus, and carrying out a measurement for determining the uranium content of the components. The cleaning and the measuring are repeated if a limit value for the uranium content is exceeded. The components are discharged from the process if the uranium content falls below a limit value. The cleaning is carried out on a plurality of successive batches of components until a control measurement indicates an unsatisfactory cleaning action of the cleaning solution. The uranium oxide dissolved in the cleaning solution is recovered after indication of the unsatisfactory cleaning action.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for recovering uranium from components contaminated with uranium oxide, the process comprising the following steps:
a) providing a cleaning apparatus with a cleaning solution for dissolving the uranium oxide of the components;
b1) carrying out a cleaning process by introducing a batch of components into the cleaning apparatus;
b2) carrying out a measurement for determining a uranium content of the components;
b2.1) repeating steps b1) and b2) if a limit value for the uranium content is exceeded;
b2.2) discharging the components from the process if the uranium content falls below a limit value;
c) carrying out the cleaning step b) on a plurality of successive batches of components until a control measurement indicates an unsatisfactory cleaning action of the cleaning solution;
d) recovering the uranium oxide dissolved in the cleaning solution after an indication of the unsatisfactory cleaning action;
subjecting the cleaning solution to convective flow during the cleaning process according to step b1), causing the cleaning solution to flow at least one of around or through the components of a batch of components;
storing the components in a transport basket during the cleaning process; and
providing a spacer between a bottom of the cleaning apparatus and the transport basket to allow the convective flow.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning apparatus is or includes an acid bath, and the cleaning solution includes an acid.

3. The process according to claim 1 , which further comprises providing a measurement apparatus for carrying out measurements of the uranium content, the measurement apparatus including a measurement booth and the measurement booth having at least one of one or more gamma detectors or a central measuring probe for measuring the uranium content.

4. The process according to claim 3 , which further comprises introducing a batch of components into the measurement apparatus for carrying out a first measurement of the uranium content, before introducing the batch of components into the cleaning apparatus.

5. The process according to claim 4 , which further comprises storing the components of a batch of components in a vessel for at least one of transport or storage during the first measurement.

6. The process according to claim 5 , which further comprises inserting the central probe centrally into the vessel for carrying out the first measurement.

7. The process according to claim 1 , which further comprises at least one of:
heating the cleaning solution during the cleaning process, or
exciting the cleaning solution by ultrasound during the cleaning process.

8. The process according to claim 1 , which further comprises:
discharging the components of a batch of components from the cleaning apparatus after the cleaning process according to step b1);
then introducing the components of the batch of components into a deionate bath; and
keeping the components of the batch of components in the deionate bath for a prescribed period of time.

9. The process according to claim 8 , which further comprises:
discharging the components of a batch of components from the deionate bath after the deionate bath;
then introducing the components of the batch of components into a dripping-off tank; and
keeping the components of the batch of components in the dripping-off tank for a prescribed period of time to effect drying.

10. The process according to claim 5 , which further comprises relocating the components of a batch of components from the vessel into the transport basket before introduction into the cleaning apparatus.

11. The process according to claim 1 , which further comprises relocating the components of a batch of components into a measurement vessel before the measurement according to step b2).

12. The process according to claim 11 , which further comprises:
providing a measurement apparatus for carrying out measurements of the uranium content, the measurement apparatus including a measurement booth and the measurement booth having at least one of one or more gamma detectors or a central measuring probe for measuring the uranium content; and
introducing the components of the batch of components into the measurement apparatus for carrying out the measurement according to step b2) in the measurement vessel.

13. The process according to claim 11 , which further comprises storing the components discharged from the cleaning process in the measurement vessel in which they have been subjected to the measurement according to step b2), with the measurement vessel being closed and the closed measurement vessel being passed to further process steps or storage.

14. The process according to claim 1 , which further comprises including a pH test in the control measurement for determining an unsatisfactory cleaning action of the cleaning solution.

15. The process according to claim 1 , which further comprises neutralizing the cleaning solution after the unsatisfactory cleaning action of the cleaning solution has been indicated, with uranium being present in the neutralized cleaning solution after neutralization of the cleaning solution as salt, either in dissolved or undissolved form.

16. The process according to claim 15 , which further comprises at least one of:
filtering-off undissolved uranium salts, or
isolating dissolved uranium salts by distillation.

17. The process according to claim 16 , which further comprises thermally converting at least one of the uranium salts having been filtered off or the uranium salts isolated by distillation, in air into uranium oxide.

Assignees

• Framatome Gmbh

Inventors

• Roppelt Alfons
• Hoppe Sebastian
• Schmid Wolfgang
• Bezold Rainer
• Eissner Juergen
• Bergmann Norbert

Classifications

• C22B60/0221

  by leaching · CPC title

• C22B60/0278

  by chemical methods (C22B60/0256, C22B60/026, C22B60/0265 take precedence) · CPC title

• G21F9/28 Primary

  Treating solids · CPC title

• C01G43/01 Primary

  Oxides; Hydroxides · CPC title

• C22B60/0239

  nitric acid containing ion as active agent · CPC title