Centrifugal isotope separation in zirconium plasmas

Abstract

Centrifugal isotopic enrichment in a zirconium vacuum arc centrifuge is described. Peak, single-pass enrichments up to 1700% for 96Zr2+, 330% for 94Zr2+, 280% for 92Zr2+, and 50% for 91Zr2+ were measured, for a discharge current of 3.7 kA and magnetic field strength of 0.17 T. Such high enrichments are compared with predictions of a simple, two-fluid centrifuge model.