Ion exchange enrichment of uranium isotopes

Abstract

A process for the enrichment of one isotope in a mixture of uranium isotopes by passing a solution of the mixture in a solvent through an anion exchanger thereby forming on the anion exchanger a boundary (A) between a uranium adsorption zone and an adjacent reducing agent zone and/or a boundary (B) between a uranium adsorption zone and an adjacent oxidizing agent zone, the uranium adsorption zone advancing through the anion exchanger, effecting reduction at the boundary (A) and/or effecting oxidation at the boundary (B), thereby effecting enrichment adjacent said boundary, and separating a fraction enriched in one of said isotopes, which process comprises using as the solvent medium a composition comprising (a) a solvent having a dielectric constant of at least 80 at 20.degree. C., (b) hydrochloric acid and (c) at least one of hydrobromic acid and sulfuric acid, the solvent medium having a hydrogen ion concentration of about 0.1 M/l to about 10 M/l, a total chlorine ion concentration of about 0.1 M/l to about 12 M/l, at least one of bromine and sulfate ion being present in about 0.01 M/l to about 10 M/l and the other being present in from zero up to 10 M/l, and passing the materials through the ion exchanger at a rate such that the migration velocity of the uranium adsorption zone through the ion exchanger is at least about 1 cm per minute.