The Orano plant in Niger (Somaïr) precipitates its uranium concentrate in a fluidized bed reactor by adding sodium hydroxide. The concentrate obtained contains around 6% sodium which leads to converter penalties. Orano carried out tests at the end of 2019 on a fluidized bed in the laboratory to change the operating point of precipitation and preferentially form UO3 via a change in pH. To refine the management of the industrial unit, it is necessary to model the precipitation reactions of uranium. The candidate will have to propose and calibrate a competitive precipitation model for Na2U2O7 and UO3 based on the equilibrium constants and reaction kinetics, as a function of the pH within the reactor. In particular, the model should make it possible to understand the impact of pH on the distribution of the two main species identified in the concentrate: Na2U2O7 and UO3. This chemical model should serve as input to an existing physical model of the fluidized bed reactor. An extension of the model to other precipitation reagents, in particular magnesia, could also be studied.
Laboratory
Département de recherche sur les procédés pour la mine et le recyclage du combustible
Service d’études des procédés de fabrication des matériaux d’actinides
Laboratoire d’études des Procédés des Conversions des Actinides
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