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Study on the Thermal Stability of the Na2UF8 Complex in the Argon Atmosphere
Rongrong Cui1,2,3, Zhiqiang Cheng1,2,3, Jianxing Dai1,2
1Division of Radiochemistry and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP), Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), Shanghai 201800, China.
Abstract:
The Na2UF8 complex is an important intermediate compound in the purification of UF6 by the adsorption-desorption process during fluoride volatility of the spent nuclear fuel, and its decomposition is seriously affected by temperature and atmosphere. In this study, the thermal stability of Na2UF8 in the argon atmosphere was investigated by the in situ Raman spectroscopy. The decomposition products of Na2UF8 at different temperatures were systematically determined by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The results indicated that Na2UF8 on the NaF sorbent was stable under 300 °C in the argon atmosphere, and it started to decompose into UF6 and NaF rapidly when the temperature was above 300 °C. Meanwhile, a small amount of Na2UF8 was converted to Na3UF7, and it was stable in the temperature range from 350 to 450 °C. The decomposition mechanism of the Na2UF8 and the formation mechanism of Na3UF7 on the NaF sorbent were speculated according to the experimental results.
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