I. V. Tananaev Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Rare Elements and Mineral Raw Materials of Russian Academy of Sciences Kola Scientific Center (ICTREMRM KSC RAS), Apatity, Russia

V. М. Orlov, Head of Laboratory, e-mail: orlov@chemy.kolasc.net.ru

L. А. Fedorova, Researcher
V. Т. Кalinnikov, Director

Russian Federal Nuclear Center of All-Russian Scientific-Research Institute of Experimental Physics, Sarov, Russia

V. V. Yaroshenko, Head of Department

FSUE “Mayak” Production Association”, Ozersk, Russia

S. М.-А. Valeev, Executive Officer on Special Production

This article presents the research results on the fireproof technology of sodium reduced zirconium powders. Characteristics of an industrial potassium fluozirconate crystals were researched. The industrial potassium fluozirconate is the initial raw material for powder obtaining. Notwithstanding the fact that various salt batches have equal chemical composition and full adequacy of technical conditions, they are different in appearance and phase composition of crystals. It is necessary to correct the charge composition and sodium reduction conditions, according to the physical characteristics of fluozirconate crystals. After the reduction process was completed, it was proposed to distillate the sodium excess to enhance the safety of handling the reaction mass and loading it into the leaching reactor. Together with the powder zirconium on the filter, an ingress prevention of slightly soluble zirconium oxide compounds was allowed by washing off the basic volume of a solution from salts with decantation. Due to this, the number of leaching cycles reduced to four. Burdening of separate powder batches for composition averaging was achieved by mixing them in water at the ratio of S:L = 1:2 with the following correcting of the fineness ratio at a nutsch filter. Due to this, the danger of a fire risk of a product, removed. New technical conditions for the sodium-reduced zirconium powder was worked out.

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