Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
In cooperation with the Iranian Nuclear Society

Comparative Study of Fixed and Fluidized Bed Reactor for Zirconium Tetrachloride Production

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

M. R Ghasemi
S. M Ghoreishi
M Ghannadi Maragheh
M. H Jazini
Abstract
In this research, zirconium tetrachloride production is studied as one of the stages of zirconium production. Basically, there are two main methods for producing zirconium tetrachloride from zirconium dioxide: The first and older method used in Iran is the fixed bed process. Despite the advantage of the process and equipment simplicity, this method has a lot of problems, including low efficiency and operator safety problems. In this study, the efficiencies of this method and a newer technique that is fluidized bed reactor were compared. Although the capacity of the reactors are very different, according to that comparison which is based on the unit weight of zirconium production, the result has enough validity. Based on this study, the efficiency of the fluidized bed reactor is 14% higher than that of the fixed bed

Highlights

[1] B. Lustman, F. Kerze, The Metallurgy of Zirconium, McGraw-Hill (1955). 

 

[2] Ullmann,s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 6ed, vol. 39, WILEY-VCH, John Wiley & Sons (2003). 

 

[3] L. Xu, Y. Xiao, A. Van Sandwijk, Q. Xu, Y. Yang, Production of nuclear grade zirconium: A review, J. Nucl. Materials 466 (2015) 21-28. 

 

[4] M.H. Jazini, S.M. Ghoreishi, A.A. Dadkhah, Simulation of fluidized bed carbochlorination reactors for producing zirconium metal, M. Sc Thesis, Esfahan University of Technology (2008).

 

[5] G.R. Menezes Eliene, C. Rubens, A. Marco Andreoli, S.M. Seo Emiliao, Obtaining of the nuclear grade zirconium tetrachloride by the chlorination process, IPEN-Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (2015).  

 

[6] V.S. Nguyen, Study on technology for laboratory scale production of zirconium chloride by chlorinating zirconium dioxide, Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements, The Annual Report for (2006) 264-268.  

 

[7] D.R. Spink, J.W. Cookston, J.E. Hanway, The Fluidized Bed Chlorination of Zirconium Bearing Materials, Annual Meeting of American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineering, New York (1964).  

 

[8] C.K. Gupta, D. Sathiyamoorthy, Fluid Bed Technology in Materials Processing, CRC Press (1999).

 

[9] A.A. Manieh, D.S. Scott, D.R. Spink, Electrothermal Fluidized Bed Chlorination of Zircon, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering 52 (1974) 507-514.

Keywords

Zirconium Tetrachloride
Fluidized Bed Reactor
Zirconium Dioxide
[1] B. Lustman, F. Kerze, The Metallurgy of Zirconium, McGraw-Hill (1955). 
 
[2] Ullmann,s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 6ed, vol. 39, WILEY-VCH, John Wiley & Sons (2003). 
 
[3] L. Xu, Y. Xiao, A. Van Sandwijk, Q. Xu, Y. Yang, Production of nuclear grade zirconium: A review, J. Nucl. Materials 466 (2015) 21-28. 
 
[4] M.H. Jazini, S.M. Ghoreishi, A.A. Dadkhah, Simulation of fluidized bed carbochlorination reactors for producing zirconium metal, M. Sc Thesis, Esfahan University of Technology (2008).
 
[5] G.R. Menezes Eliene, C. Rubens, A. Marco Andreoli, S.M. Seo Emiliao, Obtaining of the nuclear grade zirconium tetrachloride by the chlorination process, IPEN-Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (2015).  
 
[6] V.S. Nguyen, Study on technology for laboratory scale production of zirconium chloride by chlorinating zirconium dioxide, Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements, The Annual Report for (2006) 264-268.  
 
[7] D.R. Spink, J.W. Cookston, J.E. Hanway, The Fluidized Bed Chlorination of Zirconium Bearing Materials, Annual Meeting of American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineering, New York (1964).  
 
[8] C.K. Gupta, D. Sathiyamoorthy, Fluid Bed Technology in Materials Processing, CRC Press (1999).
 
[9] A.A. Manieh, D.S. Scott, D.R. Spink, Electrothermal Fluidized Bed Chlorination of Zircon, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering 52 (1974) 507-514.

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