URANIUM ENRICHMENTTECHNOLOGY

A DON’T DIY guide to

What is Enriched Uranium?

Uranium

238 (Natural Uranium)

235 (Isotope)○ Fissile

Types of Enriched Uranium

Grades

Natural Uranium

Low-Enriched

Weapons-Grade

Enrichment Processes

Diffusion Centrifuge Laser Separation Other

Diffusion Techniques

Gaseous Diffusion

Diffusion Techniques

Thermal Diffusion

No longer used

Centrifuge Techniques

Gas Centrifuge10x more energy efficient than Gaseous

Diffusion technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X7Lr-gdxZY&feature=related

Centrifuge Techniques

Zippe Centrifuge

Improvement on gaseouscentrifuge technology,use of heat.

Laser Separation

Separation of Isotopes by Laser Excitation (SILEX)Australian project that will be commercially

ready by 2012.

Laser Separation

Atomic vapor laser isotope separation(AVLIS)Photoionization of target isotope

Molecular laser isotope separation(MLIS)Photolysis of Uranium Hexafluoride to

Uranium Pentafluoride

Other Techniques

Aerodynamic processes

Becker jet nozzle

○ Vortex tube

Other Techniques

Electromagnetic Isotope Separation

Ionized Uranium is deflected to coll-ection targets inmagnetic field.

Other Techniques

Chemical Methods

Slightly different reactions of U-235, U-238 to Redox

Other Techniques

Plasma Separation

Selective energizing of U-235 with plasma that contains a mix of ions.