Comparison of costs of conventional fluorination and improved fluorox processes for the production of uranium hexafluoride
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Date
1975-05
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Publisher
Australian Atomic Energy Commission
Abstract
Capital and operating costs for direct fluorination and two schemes of improved Fluorox plants are compared for a uranium throughput of 3,000 Mg y-1. Scheme I involves the recycle of uranyl fluoride (UO2F2) through separate reduction and hydrofluorination steps, while in Scheme II the reduction and hydrofluorination of recycle UO2F2 is carried out in one step. There are savings in total capital requirement of approximately $982,000 for the Scheme I Fluorox plant and approximately $2,156,000 for the Scheme II Fluorox plant compared with a total capital requirement of approximately $14.6 x 106 for the conversion of yellow cake to uranium hexafluoride via direct fluorination. Annual expenditures (including capital charges) are reduced by $480,000 and $848,000 for the two Fluorox plants respectively, saving $0.16 kg-1 and $0.28 kg-1 respectively in the cost of conversion of yellow cake to uranium hexafluoride compared with $2.43 kg-1 reported for a direct fluorination plant.
Description
Keywords
Cost, Fluorination, Uranium, Uranium oxides U308
Citation
Charlton, B. G. (1975). Comparison of costs of conventional fluorination and improved fluorox processes for the production of uranium hexafluoride (AAEC/E358). Lucas Heights, NSW: Research Establishment, Australian Atomic Energy Commission.