Method to produce uranium silicides

1. A method comprising:

forming uranium dioxide;

reacting uranium dioxide with carbon to produce uranium carbide; and,

reacting uranium carbide with a silicon based reactant comprised of a silane, a silicon halide, a siloxane, and combinations thereof, in the presence of excess hydrogen to form a uranium silicide product,

wherein uranium dioxide is formed by a process selected from the group consisting of an ammonium uranyl carbonate process, an ammonium diuranate process, and an integrated dry route process.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the silicon based reactant has from 1 to 6 silicon atoms in a linear, branched, or cyclic configuration.

3. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the uranium silicide is U 3 Si 2 .

4. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the ratio of uranium to silicon in the uranium silicide product is varied by the ratio of feed compounds used to form one or more of uranium dioxide, uranium carbide, and the silicon based reactant.

5. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the method is carried out in a rotary kiln.

6. The method recited in claim 1 wherein each step is carried out at temperatures below the melting point of reactants contributing to the targeted stoichiometry of uranium silicide.

7. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising homogenizing the uranium silicide product at a temperature above the temperature at which the formation of the uranium silicide is carried out and below the melting temperature of the uranium silicide.

8. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the silicon based reactant has the general formula Si n X 2n+2 , where n is an integer from 1 to 6 and X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halides, and combinations thereof.

9. A method comprising:

forming uranium dioxide;

reacting uranium dioxide with carbon to produce uranium carbide; and,

reacting uranium carbide with a silicon based reactant comprised of a silane, a silicon, halide, a siloxane, and combinations thereof, in the presence of excess hydrogen to form a uranium silicide product;

wherein the silicon based reactant has the general formula Si n X 2n+2 , where n is an integer from 1 to 6 and X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halides, and combinations thereof.

10. The method recited in claim 9 wherein uranium dioxide is formed from a uranium fluoride.

11. The method recited in claim 10 wherein the uranium fluoride is selected from uranium hexaflouride (UF 6 ), uranyl fluoride (UO 2 F 2 ) and uranium tetrafluoride (UF 4 ).

12. The method recited in claim 9 wherein the silicon based reactant has from 1 to 6 silicon atoms in a linear, branched, or cyclic configuration.

13. The method recited in claim 9 wherein the uranium silicide is U 3 Si 2 .

14. The method recited in claim 9 wherein the ratio of uranium to silicon in the uranium silicide product is varied by the ratio of feed compounds used to form one or more of uranium dioxide, uranium carbide, and the silicon based reactant.

15. The method recited in claim 9 wherein each step is carried out at temperatures below the melting point of reactants contributing to the targeted stoichiometry of uranium silicide.

16. The method recited in claim 9 further comprising homogenizing the uranium silicide product at a temperature above the temperature at which the formation of the uranium silicide is carried out and below the melting temperature of the uranium silicide.

17. The method recited in claim 9 wherein uranium dioxide is formed by a process selected from the group consisting of an ammonium uranyl carbonate process, an ammonium diuranate process, and an integrated dry route process.

18. A method comprising:

forming uranium, dioxide;

reacting uranium dioxide with carbon to produce uranium carbide; and,

reacting uranium carbide with a silicon based, reactant comprised of a silane, a silicon halide, a siloxane, and combinations thereof, in the presence of excess hydrogen to form a uranium silicide product;

wherein residual carbon is removed by reacting the residual carbon with a silicon halide and excess halide.

19. The method recited in claim 18 wherein the halide is selected from the group consisting of fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, and combinations thereof.

20. The method recited in claim 18 wherein the silicon based reactant has from 1 to 6 silicon atoms in a linear, branched, or cyclic configuration.

21. The method recited in claim 18 wherein the uranium silicide is U 3 Si 2 .

22. The method recited in claim 18 wherein the ratio of uranium to silicon in the uranium silicide product is varied by the ratio of feed compounds used to form one or more of uranium dioxide, uranium carbide, and the silicon based reactant.

23. The method recited in claim 18 wherein each step is carried out at temperatures below the melting point of reactants contributing to the targeted stoichiometry of uranium silicide.

24. The method recited in claim 18 further comprising homogenizing the uranium silicide product at a temperature above the temperature at which the formation of the uranium silicide is carried out and below the melting temperature of the uranium silicide.

25. The method recited in claim 18 wherein uranium dioxide is formed by a process selected from the group consisting of an ammonium uranyl carbonate process, an ammonium diuranate process, and an integrated dry route process.

26. The method recited in claim 18 wherein the silicon based reactant has the general formula Si n X 2n+2 , where n is an integer from 1 to 6 and X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halides, and combinations thereof.

27. A method comprising:

forming uranium dioxide;

reacting uranium dioxide with carbon to produce uranium carbide; and,

reacting uranium carbide with a silicon based reactant comprised of a silane, a silicon halide, a siloxane, and combinations thereof, in the presence of excess hydrogen to form a uranium silicide product;

wherein the step of forming the uranium silicide is carried out at temperatures between 500 and 800 K.

28. The method recited in claim 27 wherein the silicon based reactant has from 1 to 6 silicon atoms in a linear, branched, or cyclic configuration.

29. The method recited in claim 27 wherein the uranium silicide is U 3 Si 2 .

30. The method recited in claim 27 wherein the ratio of uranium to silicon in the uranium silicide product is varied by the ratio of feed compounds used to form one or more of uranium dioxide, uranium carbide, and the silicon based reactant.

31. The method recited in claim 27 wherein each step is carried out at temperatures below the melting point of reactants contributing to the targeted stoichiometry of uranium silicide.

32. The method recited in claim 27 further comprising homogenizing the uranium silicide product at a temperature above the temperature at which the formation of the uranium silicide is carried out and below the melting temperature of the uranium silicide.

33. The method recited in claim 27 wherein uranium dioxide is formed by a process selected from the group consisting of an ammonium uranyl carbonate process, an ammonium diuranate process, and an integrated dry route process.

34. A method for producing a uranium silicide nuclear fuel comprising a reaction represented by:

(1) UF 6 +H 2 +2H 2 O→UO 2 +6HF;

(2) one or both of

(i) UO 2 +3C→UC+2CO and

(ii) UO 2 +2C→UC+CO 2 ;

and,

(3) 3UC+one of 2SiX 4 or Si 2 O+2X 2 →U 3 Si 2 +3CX 4 ,

wherein X is, selected from the group consisting of H, Cl, F, Br, and I and combinations thereof.

35. The method recited in claim 34 wherein the process is carried out in a rotary kiln.

36. The method recited in claim 35 wherein the halide is selected from the group consisting of fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, and combinations thereof.

37. The method recited in claim 34 wherein step (3) is carried out at temperatures between 500 and 800 K.

38. The method recited in claim 34 wherein, following the third reaction step, residual carbon is removed by reacting the residual carbon with a silicon halide and excess halide.

39. The method recited in claim 34 further comprising, homogenizing the uranium silicide product at a temperature below the melting temperature of the uranium silicide product.