Commissariat a L'energie Atomique

Louis Bethuel

Maurice Carles

Roger Neige

Laurent Martin

Jacques Aubert

Thierry Dujardin

Apparatus for the extraction of constituents by a supercritical fluid or

Liquid-liquid exchanger where a dispersed phase circulates also in a continuous phase, wherein an electrocoalescer is placed in that part of the exchanger located between the dispersed phase inlet and the continuous phase outlet. Application to the separation of uranium isotopes by chemical exchange.

Liquid-liquid exchangers and process of using

A process for the purification of uranium hexafluoride containing traces of neptunium fluoride and/or plutonium fluoride, wherein the uranium hexafluoride to be purified is contacted with a metal fluoride chosen from the group including lead fluoride PbF.sub.2, uranium fluorides of UF.sub.4+x in which x has a value between 0 and 1 and chromium trifluoride CrF.sub.3, at a temperature such that the plutonium and/or neptunium fluorides are reduced, and wherein the thus purified uranium hexafluoride is recovered.

Uranium hexafluoride purification process

Growing community of inventors

Pierrelatte, France

Louis Bethuel