SBIR Phase II: NIFUT Technology for Recycling Fluorides from Uranium Tetrafluoride

SBIR 第二阶段：从四氟化铀中回收氟化物的 NIFUT 技术

• 批准号: 1127187
• 负责人: Bamidele Omotowa
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: Pearlhill Technologies, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-08-15 至 2014-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1127187&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; NIFUT; Technology

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project proposes to significantly expand the number of marketable compounds that can be converted from depleted uranium tetrafluoride (DUF4). DUF4 is produced by the reduction of depleted hexafluoride (DUF6), the largest and one of the most toxic waste components of the entire nuclear fuel cycle. Current technology can convert DUF4 into metallic fluorides. Pearlhill Technologies has developed new, environmentally and economically sound processes for the production of nonmetallic inorganic fluorides from uranium tetrafluoride (NIFUT). In Phase I, Pearlhill proved the feasibility of three NIFUT processes to produce commercially viable fluoride products; sulfur tetrafluoride (SF4) gas, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas, and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) gas. In Phase II, the company will design and develop prototype reactors and conduct field tests for three processes: (1) a scalable batch process to produce SF4; (2) a continuous process to produce SF6 gas by direct fluorination of SF4 in a stationary bed of cobalt trifluoride (CoF3); and (3) a continuous process for the direct fluorination of trimethylsilylamines at a low temperature liquid phase continuous process, in order to produce NF3 gas.The broader impacts of this research are that, for the first time, a company has created nonmetallic inorganic fluoride products from DUF6. The Department of Energy (DOE) currently has as much as 700,000 tons of DUF6 in its inventory. Meanwhile, four companies are planning to build new uranium enrichment plants. When these facilities are operational, an additional 27,000 tons of DUF6 waste will be added annually to the inventory. DOE's 1999 roadmap for decommissioning DUF6 discussed the need to create new processes for the commercial production of high-value fluorine products from DUF6/DUF4 including a variety of metallic and non-metallic inorganic fluoride compounds, which can be absorbed into current markets. A mix of high-value fluoride products is needed to minimize flooding any single fluoride market. Market research suggests that the market demand for metallic fluoride products can absorb only about ten percent of the potential metallic fluoride gas products that could be created from the annual ongoing enrichment process; hence there is a pressing need to increase the number of markets for fluoride products created from DUF6. The innovative NIFUT process will address this need. The Phase I research has proven that three fluoride products - SF4, SF6, and NF3 - can be produced at a significant cost advantage in the current marketplace.

这一小企业创新研究第二阶段项目提议大幅度增加可从贫铀四氟化物转化的可销售化合物的数量。DUF 4是由贫化六氟化碳（DUF 6）还原产生的，DUF 6是整个核燃料循环中最大和毒性最大的废物成分之一。目前的技术可以将DUF 4转化为金属氟化物。Pearlhill Technologies开发了新的、环保和经济的工艺，用于从四氟化铀（NIFUT）生产非金属无机氟化物。在第一阶段，Pearlhill证明了三种NIFUT工艺生产商业上可行的氟化物产品的可行性：四氟化硫（SF 4）气体，六氟化硫（SF6）气体和三氟化氮（NF 3）气体。在第二阶段，该公司将设计和开发原型反应器，并对三种工艺进行现场测试：（1）生产SF 4的可扩展间歇工艺;（2）通过在三氟化钴（CoF 3）固定床中直接气化SF 4生产SF6气体的连续工艺;和（3）在低温液相连续法中直接酯化三甲基甲硅烷基胺的连续法，这项研究的更广泛的影响是，第一次，一家公司从DUF 6中创造了非金属无机氟化物产品。美国能源部（DOE）目前的库存中有多达70万吨DUF 6。与此同时，四家公司正计划建造新的铀浓缩工厂。这些设施投入使用后，每年将在库存中增加27 000吨DUF 6废物。美国能源部1999年的DUF 6退役路线图讨论了需要创造新的工艺，从DUF 6/DUF 4商业生产高价值的氟产品，包括各种金属和非金属无机氟化物化合物，这些产品可以被吸收到目前的市场中。需要高价值氟化物产品的组合，以尽量减少任何单一氟化物市场的泛滥。市场研究表明，金属氟化物产品的市场需求只能吸收每年正在进行的浓缩过程可能产生的潜在金属氟化物气体产品的约10%;因此迫切需要增加DUF 6产生的氟化物产品的市场数量。创新的NIFUT进程将满足这一需求。第一阶段的研究已经证明，三种氟化物产品-SF 4，SF6和NF 3-可以在当前市场上以显着的成本优势生产。