Enrichment process

Nuclear power is increasingly regarded as the number one commercial choice for a sustainable energy supply, free from the uncertainty and inherent environmental dangers of the diminishing fossil fuel alternatives.

 

With our unique abilities in industry-leading centrifuge technology, URENCO is ideally placed to support the nuclear industry by utilising our enrichment skills to supply customers with secured supplies at predictable prices.

After the uranium has been converted into the form of UF₆, it is delivered to the enrichment site in internationally standardised transport containers.

The UF₆ is solid at ambient temperature. Once in the enrichment plant, the transport container holding UF₆ is connected to the plant's feed system. It is then heated in an autoclave (an airtight, heated pressure vessel),  in order to vaporise the UF₆.  Control valves and restrictors reduce the pressure of the gas before it is fed into the plant.

The gaseous UF₆ is fed into the centrifuge where it adopts a rotational motion. The centrifugal forces push the heavier U²³⁸ closer to the wall of the rotor than the lighter U²³⁵. The gas closer to the wall becomes depleted in U²³⁵, whereas the gas nearer the rotor axis is slightly enriched in U²³⁵. This process is repeated over and over again in a centrifuge cascade until the desired level of enrichment is achieved.

The enriched UF₆, now containing between 3% and 5% U²³⁵ isotope (depending upon the customer's requirements) passes through compressors and into product containers.

The product containers are then cooled and the UF₆ vapour solidifies on the walls of the container. When filled, the containers are sampled to check the enrichment assay before being delivered to the customer.

All containers are weighed to comply with the requirements of Euratom and the IAEA. Deliveries to customers are made in containers which are transported in a licensed protective casing which meets international standards.

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