Comparison of phosgene, chlorine, and hydrogen chloride as reagents for converting molten CaO. CaCl/sub 2/ to CaCl/sub 2/

• Main Author: Fife, K.W.
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; CALCIUM CHLORIDES; RECYCLING; CALCIUM OXIDES; PLUTONIUM; PRODUCTION; CHLORINE; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; HYDROCHLORIC ACID; LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; MOLTEN SALTS; PHOSGENE; PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE; REAGENTS; REDUCTION; REGENERATION; ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS; ACTINIDES; ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS; CALCIUM COMPOUNDS; CALCIUM HALIDES; CARBONIC ACID DERIVATIVES; CHALCOGENIDES; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; CHLORIDES; CHLORINE COMPOUNDS; ELEMENTS; HALIDES; HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; HALOGENS; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; INORGANIC ACIDS; MATERIALS; METALS; NONMETALS; ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS; PLUTONIUM OXIDES; RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS; RADIOACTIVE WASTES; SALTS; TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS; TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS; WASTES; Carbonic acid
• Online Access: http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/5330922; https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5330922

One method at Los Alamos for preparing impure plutonium metal from the impure oxide is by batch reduction with calcium metal at 850/sup 0/C in a CaCl/sub 2/ solvent. The solvent salt from this reduction is currently discarded as low-level radioactivity waste only because it is saturated with the CaO byproduct. We have demonstrated a pyrochemical technique for converting the CaO to CaCl/sub 2/ thereby incorporating solvent recycling into the batch reduction process. We will discuss the effectiveness of HCl, Cl/sub 2/, and COCl/sub 2/ as chlorinating agents and recycling actual spent process solvent salts. 6 refs., 8 figs.