Engineering topics
Hatchett, David
Publications and source records attributed to Hatchett, David.
Synthetic diversity in the preparation of metallic uranium
Uranium metal is associated with several aspects of nuclear technology; it is used as fuel for research and power reactors, targets for medical isotope productions, explosive for nuclear weapons and precursors in synthetic chemistry. The study of uranium metal at the laboratory scale presents the opportunity to evaluate metallic nuclear fuels, develop new methods for metallic spent fuel reprocessing and advance the science relevant to nuclear forensics and medical isotope production. Since its first isolation in 1841, from the reaction of uranium chloride and potassium metal, uranium metal has been prepared by solid-state reactions and in solution by electrochemical, chemical and radiochemical methods. The present review summarizes the methods outlined above and describes the chemistry associated with each preparation.
The Influence of Alkalinity on the Uptake of Cs{sup +} and Sr{sup 2+} by Cation-substituted Natisites in Sodium-bearing Conditions - 20336
The titanosilicate natisite (Na{sub 2}TiSiO{sub 5}) is a kinetic phase of the mineral sitinakite (Na{sub 2}Ti{sub 2}O{sub 3}SiO{sub 4}.2H{sub 2}O), which is a reference material in the removal of Cs and Sr from radioactive high-level waste. Natisite is disregarded in the literature as a candidate sorbent for Cs and Sr, despite being more thermally stable than sitinakite, which is a critical property for this application. Replacing portion of the Ti in natisite by other metals is believed to enhance natisite sorption properties. In nuclear waste remediation, Cs and Sr are contained in high-salinity liquid wastes that can either be highly acidic or alkaline. In the present study, Al-, Sn-, and Zr-natisites were synthesized, and compared to pure natisite and sitinakite in batch experiments. Five concentrations of NaOH and NaNO{sub 3} (i.e. source of Na{sup +}) mimicking conditions of high alkalinity, and competing Na{sup +} ions, respectively, were evaluated. Sorption results demonstrate that sitinakite is generally more effective than all four natisites in removing Cs and Sr. However, sitinakite uptake mechanism seems to deteriorate at increasing concentrations of base and Na{sup +}. Although less selective than sitinakite, all natisite sorbents provided a less dramatic decline in Cs and Sr uptake through increasing molarities. Overall, there was an improvement in the sorption of Cs and Sr by the metal-substituted materials over natisite and, in neither of the testing solutions, natisite outperformed its substituted variants. In highly alkaline solutions, Sn- and Zr-Natisite provided for exceptional removal for Sr, removing more than twice the amount sorbed by sitinakite at 0.1 M NaOH. The results obtained for Sr uptake by all four natisite materials in alkaline solutions are promising, especially considering the highly alkaline nature of wastes from the nuclear industry. Future studies should investigate the sorption mechanisms responsible for natisite selectivity for Sr at high pH. (authors)
X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopic study of (NH[subscript 4])[subscript 2]ReF[subscript 6]
Abstract not provided
Note: Experiments in hard x-ray chemistry: In situ production of molecular hydrogen and x-ray induced combustion
We have successfully loaded H{sub 2} into a diamond anvil cell at high pressure using the synchrotron x-ray induced decomposition of NH{sub 3}BH{sub 3}. In a second set of studies, radiation-assisted release of O{sub 2} from KCLO{sub 3}, H{sub 2} release from NH{sub 3}BH{sub 3}, and reaction of these gases in a mixture of the reactants to form liquid water using x-rays at ambient conditions was observed. Similar observations were made using a KCLO{sub 3} and NaBH{sub 4} mixture. Depending on reaction conditions, an explosive or far slower reaction producing water was observed.