Date of Award

1958

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Department

Chemistry

Abstract

Aqueous precipitation of uranium as the peroxide has been used as a purification procedure since the early days of the Manhattan Project. The procedure has successfully produced an extremely pure product when handled in small batches. Heretofore peroxide precipitation has been utilized for relatively pure fuel from gaseous diffusion plants or in purifying column extraction products from salvage processes. A search of the unclassified literature had rendered no information upon the feasibility of separating fission products and fuel cladding materials by selective precipitation of uranium peroxide.

The primary objective of this research was to produce a uranium oxide which is suitable free from nuclear poisons so that the uranium may immediately be refabricated for use as reactor fuel. The purified product must be decontaminated with respect to the radioactive impurities so that fuel fabrication may proceed with the use of standard fabrication techniques. The product of precipitation, uranium peroxide, should settle at a rate which will allow a continuous processing method to be employed.

A secondary objective was to discover a technique which would improve the existing purification procedures presently in use substituting on precipitation where two or more are presently required. The effect of organic complexing on the settling rate of the precipitate was studied in an effort to improve the technology of single stage purification.

Pages

52

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