METHOD OF PURIFYING URANIUM FROM NATURAL URANIUM CONCENTRATE Russian patent published in 2015 - IPC C22B60/02 C22B3/26 

FIELD: physics, atomic power.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a method with which uranium from a natural uranium concentrate may be purified. The method includes extracting uranium present as uranyl nitrate in an aqueous phase A1 resulting from the dissolution of the natural uranium concentrate in nitric acid using an organic phase which contains an extractant in an organic diluent; washing the organic phase obtained at the end of step a), with an aqueous phase A2, and extracting the uranyl nitrate from the organic phase obtained at the end of step b), by circulating said organic phase in an apparatus as a counter-current of an aqueous phase A3. The extractant is an N,N-dialkylamide and the ratio between the flow rate at which the organic phase obtained at the end of step b) and the aqueous phase A3 circulate in the apparatus where step c) occurs, is greater than 1.

EFFECT: high efficiency of purifying uranium by preventing loss of uranium in the organic phase.

15 cl, 2 tbl, 4 ex