METHOD OF CONVERSION OF UNDERGROUND HEXAFLUORIDE OF URANIUM BY WATER STEAM Russian patent published in 2017 - IPC C01G43/00 C01B7/19 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: method of conversion of depleted uranium hexafluoride with steam includes a two-stage reaction of uranium hexafluoride with water vapor and hydrogen fluoride taken with excess in water with respect to uranium hexafluoride, producing in the first stage uranyl fluoride and a mixture of 1 hydrogen fluoride vapor and water, then the uranyl fluoride with water vapor to produce uranium oxide and a mixture of 2 hydrogen fluoride vapor, water and oxygen, combine mixture 1 and mixture 2 and rectify the obtained mixture to obtain anhydrous fluorine vapor of hydrogen, oxygen and liquid hydrofluoric acid with azeotropic composition, evaporation of hydrofluoric acid and vapor recovery to the first stage of conversion. At the same time, molybdenum contaminated with molten hydrofluoric acid is subjected to purification from molybdenum in the distillation apparatus to obtain molten fluorine acid-free vapors of azeotropic composition directed to the first stage of the conversion process and the liquid molybdenum-containing hydrobic acid of azeotropic composition derived from the scheme.

EFFECT: invention makes it possible to use hydrofluoric acid of an azeotropic composition containing an impurity of molybdenum to return it to the basic conversion scheme and increase the yield of fluorine to anhydrous hydrogen fluoride.

2 cl, 1 dwg, 5 ex