Centrifugal mass separation in rotating plasmas produced by a coaxial plasma gun

Journal Article · Mon Sep 25 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Applied Physics Letters; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.101635· OSTI ID:5455478

Ikehata, T; Suzuki, M; Tanabe, T; Mase, H ^[1]

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1. Department of Electronic Engineering, Ibaraki University, Nakanarusawa-cho, Hitachi 316, Japan (JP)

Rotating Cu/Zn plasmas produced by a coaxial plasma gun have been applied to plasma centrifuge. A separation factor of up to 10 is measured over a radius of 4 cm when a current of 13 kA and an axial magnetic field of 2.5 kG are applied. Plasma parameters are: rotation frequency {omega}=1.1{times}10{sup 6} rad/s, density {ital n}{similar to}10{sup 15} cm{sup {minus}3}, and ion temperature {ital T}{sub {ital i}}=10 eV. The separation factor of 2 is attained even in the plasma core where the density is higher than one-half of the peak value. This is attributed to the fact that a strong centrifugal force forms a hollow density profile which gives the density peak at a radius of 2 cm.

• OSTI ID: 5455478
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters; (USA), Vol. 55:13; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

07 ISOTOPES AND RADIATION SOURCES
GAS CENTRIFUGES
PLASMA GUNS
DESIGN
COPPER
ROTATION
USES
ZINC
CENTRIFUGES
CONCENTRATORS
ELEMENTS
METALS
MOTION
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
070100* - Physical Isotope Separation