Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion

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For more than 60 years the Gaseous Diffusion Plants enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons and later began supplying enriched uranium to the commercial nuclear industry. Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DUF6) is a coproduct of the uranium enrichment process that operated at the Paducah and Portsmouth Sites, as well as the gaseous diffusion plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 

The DUF6 Conversion Project provides for the operation of facilities at the sites in Ohio and Kentucky to convert the stored DUF6 into uranium oxide and hydrofluoric acid (HF). Uranium oxide is a very stable compound of uranium that is found in nature. It may be stored safely for an extended period for future reuse or disposed of in a radioactive waste disposal facility. HF has many industrial uses (e.g., in the metal processing and glass industry). It can be collected and sold creating revenue returned to the project to partially offset the operation costs of the facilities.

Facility Description

The Portsmouth DUF6 facility is located in southern Ohio and occupies approximately 100 acres of the 3,777-acre site with a workforce of about 220 employees. The Paducah DUF6 facility is located in western Kentucky and occupies approximately 100 acres of the 3,556-acre site with a workforce of about 225 employees. The DUF6 conversion facilities’ objective is to safely convert DUF6 into a more stable chemical form (uranium oxide) for beneficial reuse or disposal thus reducing immediate and future risk to workers and the surrounding community. Aqueous Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is also a product of the conversion process and has many industrial uses. Primary activities at the plants include DUF6 cylinder surveillance and maintenance, conversion of DUF6 to a more stable chemical form for use or disposal and identification of beneficial uses of depleted uranium.

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