Equipment for producing nuclear fuel powder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11817224-B2
Application number	US-201817282935-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2018
Priority date	Oct 9, 2018
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

A nuclear fuel powder production plant comprises a conversion installation ( 2 ) for the conversion of uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ) into uranium dioxide (UO 2 ) having a hydrolysis reactor ( 4 ) for the conversion of UF 6 into uranium oxyfluoride powder (UO 2 F 2 ) and a pyrohydrolysis furnace ( 6 ) for converting the UO 2 F 2 powder into UO 2 powder. The nuclear fuel powder production plant also includes a packaging unit ( 20 ) for the UO 2 powder comprising a filling station ( 22 ) having a chamber ( 26 ) for receiving a container ( 24 ) to be filled, a filling duct ( 28 ) supplied from the furnace ( 6 ) and a suction system ( 32 ) comprising a suction ring ( 34 ) disposed at the outlet ( 30 ) of the filling duct ( 28 ) for sucking an annular air flow (A) around a stream (P) of UO 2 powder falling from the outlet ( 30 ) from the filling duct ( 28 ) into the container ( 24 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An installation for the production of nuclear fuel powder comprising:
a conversion installation configured for converting of uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ) into uranium dioxide (UO 2 ), the conversion installation comprising:
a hydrolysis reactor configured for converting UF 6 into uranium oxyfluoride powder (UO 2 F 2 ) by reaction between gaseous UF 6 and dry water vapor injected into the hydrolysis reactor; and
a pyrohydrolysis furnace configured for converting the UO 2 F 2 powder into UO 2 powder by reacting the UO 2 F 2 powder with dry water vapor and gaseous hydrogen (H 2 ) circulating in the pyrohydrolysis furnace; and

a packaging unit for the UO 2 powder, the packaging unit comprising a filling station for filling a container with UO 2 powder, the filling station comprising a containment chamber, a filling duct supplied with UO 2 powder from the pyrohydrolysis furnace and having an outlet opening into the containment chamber, and a suction system comprising a suction ring disposed at the outlet of the filling duct for sucking an annular air flow around a stream of UO 2 powder falling from the outlet of the filling duct into the container.

2. The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the filling station comprises a ventilation system for depressurizing the containment chamber and sucking and filtering the air present in the containment chamber.

3. The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the containment chamber is a cabin comprising a door for introducing or extracting the containment container in or out of the cabin.

4. The installation according to claim 1 , further comprising an alarm system comprising a sensor disposed in the containment chamber for measuring the pressure in the containment chamber and an alarm to emit an alarm signal in the event of an overpressure inside the chamber.

5. The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the containment chamber is equipped with a radioactive contamination control device disposed in the containment chamber to achieve a control of contamination inside the containment chamber.

6. The installation according to claim 1 , further comprising at least two storage jars for UO 2 powder and a distributor for distributing the UO 2 powder successively to the storage jars, the filling duct being supplied successively from the storage jars.

7. The installation according to claim 6 , wherein the distributor has a tank with a flat bottom and at least one scraper for scraping the bottom of the tank.

8. The installation according to claim 7 , wherein the distributor comprises outlet openings for the UO 2 powder formed in the bottom of the tank, each outlet opening supplying a respective storage jar.

9. The installation according to claim 6 , further comprising a neutral gas injection device configured to inject an inert gas inside the distributor.

10. The installation according to claim 1 , further comprising a turning station for inverting and emptying a container filled with UO 2 .

11. The installation according to claim 10 , wherein the turning station comprises a suction system comprising a suction ring disposed to be located near an inlet opening of a container inverted by the turning station.

12. The installation according to claim 10 , wherein the turning station comprises a frame, a container holder for gripping the container, at least one lifting arm pivotally mounted on the frame and carrying the container holder, and a turning mechanism for controlling rotation of the container holder relative to the lifting arm, the turning mechanism being configured so that rotation of the lifting arm relative to the frame causes the container holder to rotate relative to the lifting arm.

13. The installation according to claim 12 , wherein the turning mechanism comprises a first pinion rotatably mounted on the lifting arm while being rotatably secured to the frame, a second pinion rotatably mounted on the lifting arm while being rotatably secured to the container holder, and a drive mechanism connecting the first pinion to the second pinion.

14. The installation according to claim 12 , wherein the turning station comprises a locking device disposed on the frame for locking the container in the inverted position.

15. The installation according to claim 10 , wherein the turning station comprises a presence sensor for detecting the presence of the container in the inverted position, the container comprising an opening system for opening or closing the container, the turning station being designed to open the opening system only when the presence of the container in the inverted position is detected by the presence sensor.

16. The installation according to claim 1 , further comprising a seal disposed at the inlet of the pyrohydrolysis furnace, a seal disposed at the outlet of the pyrohydrolysis furnace and/or a seal disposed between the hydrolysis reactor and a transfer device designed to transfer the UO 2 F 2 powder from the hydrolysis reactor to the pyrohydrolysis furnace, the installation being designed for pressurizing the or each seal with an inert gas.

17. The installation according to claim 16 , wherein the inert gas is nitrogen (N 2 ).

18. The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the installation is configured for the injection of an inert gas into the hydrolysis reactor for carrying out the conversion of UF 6 into UO 2 F 2 powder in an inert gas atmosphere.

19. The installation according to claim 18 , wherein the inert gas is nitrogen (N 2 ).

Assignees

• Framatome Sa

Inventors

• Perrin Serge
• ROUQUETTE Pascal

Classifications

• G21C21/00 Primary

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of reactors or parts thereof (in general section B, e.g. B23) · CPC title

• B01J12/02

  for obtaining at least one reaction product which, at normal temperature, is in the solid state · CPC title

• B01J19/00

  Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus · CPC title

• C01B13/22

  of halides or oxyhalides · CPC title

• C01G43/025

  Uranium dioxide · CPC title