Process for producing uranium hexafluoride

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE FROM A HIGHER OXIDE OF URANIUM SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF URANIUM TRIOXIDE AND URANIUM TRITAOCTOXIDE WHICH IS PERFORMED IN A SINGLE REACTION ZONE WITHOUT REMOVAL OF THE INTERMEDIATE URANIUM REACTION PRODUCTS THEREFROM WHICH COMPRISES PASSING GASEOUS HYDROGEN OVER A THIN LAYER OF THE SAID HIGHER OXIDE OF URANIUM AT A TEMPERATURE OF 500* TO 650*C. TO CONVERT SAID HIGHER OXIDE TO URANIUM DIOXIDE, PASSING ANHYDROUS HYDROGEN FLUORIDE OVER THE THIN LAYER OF URANIUM DIOXIDE AT A TEMPERATURE OF 400* TO 600*C. TO CONVERT SAID URANIUM DIOXIDE TO ANHYDROUS URANIUM TETRAFLUORIDE, THEN PASSING ELEMENTAL FLUORINE OVER THE LAYER OF ANHYDROUS URANIUM TETRAFLUORIDE THUS OBTAINED TO CONVERT IT TO URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE, AND COLLECTING THE URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE WHICH DISTILLS FROM THE REACTION ZONE IN A TRAP COOLED TO A SUFFICIENTLY LOW TEMPERATURE TO CONDENSE THE DISTILLED URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE.