Distillation of Lithium Chloride From the Products of Uranium Dioxide Metalization

Abstract

The possibility of purifying the metalized products of pyrochemical operations by removing the electrolyte by distilling off lithium chloride is checked experimentally. This study is performed in connection with the development of promising variants of an industrial method of metalizing uranium dioxide, which is the main component of the spent nuclear fuel after its voloxidation. The electrolyte was distilled from metalized pellets and powders based on uranium dioxide with their continuous evacuation at 700–900°C. It was found that the main component of the sublimates is lithium chloride; the content of rare-earth elements and uranium is very low. The distillation regimes where 98.8–99.9% of the LiCl can be removed from the metalized products were determined.