Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Diagram of a gas centrifuge with countercurrent flow, used for separating isotopes of uranium. A gas centrifuge is a device that performs isotope separation of gases. A centrifuge relies on the principles of centrifugal force accelerating molecules so that particles of different masses are physically separated in a gradient along the radius of a rotating container.
The input gas (here represented as a fairly even mix of U-235 and U-238, though in reality natural uranium hexafluoride would have less than 1% of U-235 in it) is released into the center of the centrifuge and the centrifugal forces force the heavier gas to concentrate at the edges of the centrifuge and the lighter gas at the center.
English: Simplified diagram of a gas centrifuge used for uranium isotope separation with a countercurrent circulation for increased separation. The current in this example is induced by the bottom (waste) scoop, and the product scoop is behind a baffle, which is attached to and rotates with the rotor, to prevent it setting up equal but opposite current.
The P1 centrifuge uses an aluminum rotor, and the P2 centrifuge uses a maraging steel rotor, [3] which is stronger, spins faster, and enriches more uranium per machine than the P1. In Pakistan, the Zippe-type centrifuge had a local designation and was known as Centrifuge Khan (after Abdul Qadeer Khan).: 151 [10]
Large centrifuges are used to simulate high gravity or acceleration environments (for example, high-G training for test pilots). Medium-sized centrifuges are used in washing machines and at some swimming pools to draw water out of fabrics. Gas centrifuges are used for isotope separation, such as to enrich nuclear fuel for fissile isotopes.
A spinning rotor can cause serious injury if touched. Modern centrifuges generally have features that prevent accidental contact with a moving rotor as the main lid is locked during the run. Centrifuge rotors have tremendous kinetic energy during high speed rotation. Rotor failure, caused by mechanical stress from the high forces imparted by ...
The company hopes to triple its Oak Ridge workforce in a bid to end U.S. reliance on Russia for enriched uranium.
In the chemical and food industries, special centrifuges can process a continuous stream of particle turning into separated liquid like plasma. Centrifugation is also the most common method used for uranium enrichment, relying on the slight mass difference between atoms of U-238 and U-235 in uranium hexafluoride gas. [5]