GB949951A - Apparatus for obtaining metal fluorides - Google Patents

Abstract

Metal fluorides are recovered by the reaction of gaseous fluorinating agents on the corresponding metal compounds in an apparatus which comprises a shaft-like vertically arranged reaction vessel which has connected thereto a supply and a discharge chamber, which chambers are provided with inlets for an inert gas under pressure, the supply and discharge chambers being provided with gas-tight valves, the gas-tight valve for the supply chamber being located in an inlet for solids and the gas-tight valve for the discharge chamber being located in an outlet line for the solid products. In Fig. 1 the material to be fluorinated is supplied from chamber 3 by pipe 4 to the reaction vessel 1. Chamber 3 is pressurized with an inert gas, e.g. N2, from pipe 8 and is connected by a slide valve 5 to an additional chamber 6 which can be sealed off from the atmosphere by means of slide valve 7. The fluorinating agent is supplied through the central pipe 10 to the lower half of the reaction chamber 1 and the metal fluoride which is formed is discharged by way of valve 11 to collecting chamber 13 to which an inert gas is supplied under pressure by way of pipe 14. Chamber 13 is connected by slide valve 15 to <PICT:0949951/C1/1> a detachable container 16. The fluorinating agent is vaporized in container 17 which may be heated by jacket 18, and arranged above the container 17 is an intermediate heating space 19 which can be heated by a jacket 20. The fluorinating agent is fed into container 17 by way of chamber 22 to which an inert gas is fed under pressure through pipe 23. Uranium tetrafluoride and thorium tetrafluoride may be prepared in this apparatus by causing ammonium fluoride vapour to act on the corresponding metal compound, e.g. UO2 or ThO2.