Physics Today: USEC Inc. has taken a major step forward towards building the first new uranium enrichment plant in the US in decades.
Instead of relying on a gaseous diffusion technique, like it's existing Paducah, Kentucky, for enriching uranium, USEC chose to develop a new type of centrifuge called the AC100 series (image left), which uses significantly less energy to make 235U.
In a centrifuge the heavier gas molecules containing 238U move toward the outside of the cylinder and the lighter gas molecules rich in 235U collect closer to the center.
USEC announced that the company has started operation of a cascade of AC100 centrifuge machines in a commercial-plant configuration in Piketon, Ohio. By adding a number of centrifuges together enrichment can happen at a faster rate and at higher concentrations.
"This is an important step forward beyond our earlier prototype machines. These are production machines," said USEC President and CEO John K. Welch.
"We have invested more than $1.7 billion in this project to update the technology, to reestablish critical manufacturing infrastructure and to begin construction of the commercial plant, said Welch. "This phase is one of the last steps necessary to demonstrate that the world's most advanced centrifuge technology is ready for commercial deployment."
USEC cannot complete construction of the new enrichment facility without loan guarantees from the Department of Energy. By building a working cascade and running it until June, USEC takes a step closer towards addressing DOE's concerns over the project.
Paul Guinnessy
Related politics and policy link
DOE denies USEC loan for uranium enrichment plant 28 July 2009
Leave a comment