LABORATORY DEVELOPMENT OF THE THOREX PROCESS PROGRESS REPORT, DECEMBER 1, 1955, TO JANUARY 1, 1958

摘要

The Thorex process has been modified to increase decontamination so that thorium irradiated to more than 2000 g U-233 per ton thorium and decayed less than 180 days may be recovered. Modifications include the conversion to a codecontamination flowsheet, sweep of I-131 from the dissolver with iodine carrier, improved ruthenium decontamination by addition of bisulfite to the feed, addition of a U-233 third-cycle solvent extraction, and improved solvent recovery by use of 0.2 M NaOH treatment. Activity remaining in products from pilot plant experiments processing thorium irradiated to 4000 g U-233 per ton of thorium, decayed 27 days, by this modified process, exceeded tentative specifications by about a factor of two.