How to Enrich Uranium
Decide what the uranium will be used for., Convert the uranium ore to a gas., Enrich the uranium., Convert the UF6 gas to uranium dioxide (UO2).
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide what the uranium will be used for.
Most mined uranium contains only about
0.7 percent 235U, with most of the rest being the comparatively stable isotope 238U.What type of fission reaction the uranium will be used for determines what the level of 235U must be raised to for the uranium to be used effectively.
Uranium used in most nuclear power plants needs to be enriched to a level of 3 to 5 percent 235U.(A few nuclear reactors, such as the CANDU reactor in Canada and the Magnox reactor in the United Kingdom, are designed to use unenriched uranium.) Uranium used for atomic bombs and warheads, in contrast, needs to be enriched to 90 percent 235U. -
Step 2: Convert the uranium ore to a gas.
Most of the methods currently in existence for enriching uranium require the ore to be converted to a low-temperature gas.
Fluorine gas is normally pumped into an ore conversion plant; the uranium oxide gas reacts with the fluorine to produce uranium hexafluoride (UF6).
The gas is then acted on to separate out and gather the 235U isotope. , The remaining sections of this article describe the various processes available to enrich uranium.
Of these, gaseous diffusion and gas centrifuge are the two most common, but the laser isotope separation process is expected to replace them., Once enriched, the uranium needs to be converted to a stable solid form for its intended use.
Uranium dioxide used as fuel in nuclear reactors is made into centered ceramic pellets encased in metal tubes to make 4m (13.12-foot) long rods -
Step 3: Enrich the uranium.
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Step 4: Convert the UF6 gas to uranium dioxide (UO2).
Detailed Guide
Most mined uranium contains only about
0.7 percent 235U, with most of the rest being the comparatively stable isotope 238U.What type of fission reaction the uranium will be used for determines what the level of 235U must be raised to for the uranium to be used effectively.
Uranium used in most nuclear power plants needs to be enriched to a level of 3 to 5 percent 235U.(A few nuclear reactors, such as the CANDU reactor in Canada and the Magnox reactor in the United Kingdom, are designed to use unenriched uranium.) Uranium used for atomic bombs and warheads, in contrast, needs to be enriched to 90 percent 235U.
Most of the methods currently in existence for enriching uranium require the ore to be converted to a low-temperature gas.
Fluorine gas is normally pumped into an ore conversion plant; the uranium oxide gas reacts with the fluorine to produce uranium hexafluoride (UF6).
The gas is then acted on to separate out and gather the 235U isotope. , The remaining sections of this article describe the various processes available to enrich uranium.
Of these, gaseous diffusion and gas centrifuge are the two most common, but the laser isotope separation process is expected to replace them., Once enriched, the uranium needs to be converted to a stable solid form for its intended use.
Uranium dioxide used as fuel in nuclear reactors is made into centered ceramic pellets encased in metal tubes to make 4m (13.12-foot) long rods
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Donna Ross
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