Honeywell spokesman Peter Dalpe said the cause of the accidental release was overpressurization on a system that was undergoing maintenance at the time.
The plant shared its findings with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and said in a press release that corrective actions have been taken to prevent a similar incident in the future.
The plant released just over 12 pounds of uranium hexafluoride as a result of the leak, which would be a liquid equivalent of about 4 cups. When exposed to the air, the UF6 converted to 2.41 pounds of hydrofluoric acid. As a rule, the state of Illinois requires plants to report HF releases when they exceed 100 pounds.
The press release said, "The company is committed to the safe operation of the plant and is continuing to review the incident and make improvements to the operations and its response as needed."
Honeywell Metropolis is the only facility in the country that converts uranium ore into uranium hexafluoride. That compound is used to produce enriched uranium for use as fuel in nuclear power plants.
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