Nitric oxide kerosene

There are a number of minerals in which thorium is found. Thus a number of basic process flow sheets exist for the recovery of thorium from ores (10). The extraction of mona ite from sands is accompHshed via the digestion of sand using hot base, which converts the oxide to the hydroxide form. The hydroxide is then dissolved in hydrochloric acid and the pH adjusted to between 5 and 6, affording the separation of thorium from the less acidic lanthanides. Thorium hydroxide is dissolved in nitric acid and extracted using methyl isobutyl ketone or tributyl phosphate in kerosene to yield Th(N02)4,... 

Hazards Use maximum ventilation when handling 99% nitric acid, which evolves excessive fumes of nitrogen oxides. These fumes are very toxic and corrosive. Use great care. Kerosene and 95% ethanol are flammable, extinguish all flames before using. 

Bipropellants are formed of two components, a fuel and an oxidizer, that are stored in separate tanks. The two components are injected into the chamber and they ignite as they come into contact. The fuel component of the bipropellant includes methanol, kerosene, hydrazine, and others. The most used oxidizer is nitric acid [4]. 

In the production of uranium(lV) oxide in the wet process, the uranium concentrate is first converted into a uranyl nitrate solution with nitric acid. After the purification of the uranyl nitrate by solvent extraction, it can be converted into uranium(IV) oxide by two different routes either by thermal denitration to uranium(VI) oxide which is then reduced to uranium(IV) oxide or by conversion of uranyl nitrate into ammonium diuranate which is reduced to uranium(IV) oxide. Purification proceeds by extraction of the uranyl nitrate hydrate from the acidic solution with tri-n-butylphosphate in kerosene and stripping this organic phase with water, whereupon uranium goes into the aqueous phase. 

Nitration and oxidation. Nitric acid does not react appreciably with TBP at temperatures up to 70°C. At sufficiently high temperatures, however, nitration and oxidation take place. In two instances reaction of TBP-hydrocarbon mixtures with hot, concentrated solutions of nitric acid and uranyl nitrate led to destructive explosions. At Savannah River in 1953 [Cll], an evaporator was destroyed while concentrating a solution of nitric acid and uranyl nitrate that contained TBP and a kerosene diluent. At Oak Ridge in 1959 [A8], an explosion occurred in a radiochemical plant evaporator that was concentrating a nitric acid solution of plutonium nitrate possibly contaminated by TBP, diluent, and their radiation degradation products. 

The only Canadian uranium refinery is operated at Port Hope, Ontario by Eldorado. Tonnage quantities of oxide (U3O3) were produced first in 1942 from ore concentrates. A solvent-extraction pilot plant was operated in 1950 and 1951 to investigate methylisobutylketone (hexone) and then tributylphosphate as extractants for uranium to obtain a high-purity product. The present refinery was designed and built by the Catalytic Construction Company in 1955 (11). Yellow cake is digested in nitric acid, the resultant slurry extracted with tributylphosphate dissolved in kerosene, and the uranium, after purification, transferred back to water. This solution is decomposed thermally to UO3. Capacity is about 5 Gg U/a. 

The following procedure is used for producing thorium hrom monazite sand. The sand is digested with hot concentrated alkali which converts the oxide to hydroxide. The filtered hydroxide is dissolved in hydrochloric acid and the pH adjusted between 5 and 6, which precipitates the thorium hydroxide but not the main fraction of lanthanide elements. The thorium hydroxide is dissolved in nitric acid and selectively extracted with methyl isobutyl ketone or tributyl phosphate in kerosene. This gives a rather pure organic solution of Th(N03)4. thorium is stripped from the organic phase by washing with alkali solution. 

A common procedure begins with a treatment of monazite sand with 50-70% sodium hydroxide at 1,400°C to convert thorium oxide to hydroxide. The filtered hydroxide is then dissolved in hydrochloric acid and the pH adjusted to 5-6 to precipitate thorium but not the main fraction of the rare earth elements. After dissolution of the hydroxide in nitric add, thorium is extracted with methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) or TBP in kerosene. Thorium is then stripped from the solvent using an alkali solution. 

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