Isotope enrichment in a fully ionized, rotating metal plasma column

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5872832

Geva, M

Since 1971 much study has been conducted of the mass separation in a plasma centrifuge, and enrichment has been shown in a variety of plasmas. In these studies the plasma was either partially ionized or surrounded by a neutral gas. The neutral particles limited the achievable separation by slowing down the rotation below the Alfven critical velocity or by dragging the rotating ions and causing turbulence that smeared out the stratification. In this thesis, an experimental study is presented, of a pure, fully ionized rotating plasma column, produced in a laser-initiated vacuum arc in an axial magnetic field. The plasma column was surrounded by a vacuum, thus avoiding the deleterious effect of the neutral particles. Experiments are reported, in which various properties of the plasma centrifuge were studied under a variety of conditions. Plasma columns of C, Cu, Cu-Ni, Al-Ti, Cd-Sn and others were investigated. The discharge was pulsed, of milliseconds duration, with peak currents of several kiloamps, in axial magnetic fields of up to 3.7 kG. The axial evolution of the radial density and enrichment profiles showed a strong axial dependence near the cathode that became rather weak at about 1m from the cathode. Based on this behavior, an analytical model was developed of a plasma centrifuge in a quasi-equilibrium steady-state, and was compared to the experimental results.

• Research Organization: Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5872832
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES
070100* -- Physical Isotope Separation
CENTRIFUGES
CONCENTRATORS
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC ARCS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELEMENTS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
LASER-PRODUCED PLASMA
MAGNETIC FIELDS
METALS
PLASMA
ROTATING PLASMA
SEPARATION PROCESSES