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Product > Conversion Process
 Honeywell
Dry Fluoride Volatility Conversion Process
The dry fluoride volatility conversion process developed
by Honeywell International delivers a UF6 product with a consistently
high 99.99% purity. This unique process is comprised of 5 main stages:
- Sizing
- Reduction
- Hydrofluorination
- Fluorination, and
- Distillation,
as well as auxiliary processes such as waste treatment and sodium
removal.
Prior to any yellowcake (uranium ore concentrates) entering the
conversion process, samples of each lot are taken through an Auger
Sampling
System to be analyzed
for uranium quality and moisture content.
Once fed into the conversion process, yellowcake is uniformly sized
and reacted with hydrogen at a high temperature to form uranium
dioxide (the
Reduction
stage). Next, the uranium dioxide (UO2) is reacted with anhydrous
hydrofluoric acid in
fluidized bed reactors during Hydrofluorination to yield uranium
tetrafluoride (UF4). UF4 is reacted with gaseous fluorine to produce
crude gaseous
uranium hexafluoride (UF6) in the Fluorination stage, and then
enters the final
Distillation stage. Here, light fraction gases and impurities are
removed to produce a
purified liquid UF6. This liquid UF6 is drained into 14-ton cylinders
where, after cooling
for 5 days, the UF6 crystallizes.
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