SOUTH AFRICAN URANIUM ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (DELETED)

Created: 8/1/1977

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Enrichment Program

South African Uranium

preface

0 South Africa announcedadewin ihe fLuttethat ililot plant lo

demonjtrate ihii proem Tht announced goal of the programto convert natural uranium, mined from South Africa')depotili.ore valuable product for eaport. Since Ihen there hat been much interest In determining South Africa* capability to produce weapon-grade enriched uranium and in predicting the role of thtf new enrichment proceu In the international uranium enrichment market.

TECHNICAL FOREWORD

ound iuature ol two vanetlea. or iwopn uraruum-US. the aotop* that xntairu nuclearnd the MWj wert uranium.mhmacd mat nuclear reactor*reater eoncnlratme.ound In natural uranium Comeeiuently. uranium is ennehed from the naturala) toereenl L'-tU for po-er reactor fuel or to aboul orIn nuclear weapon*.

Vranlum ran be enriched by any ol tevcral Itotopr teparatlon leehnlquci. althoughew mrthodiaieou*i cenlnfuge. and aerodynamic proeeitcim the Becker nnulere fe.uble for large-tcale application In each technique uranium it pauedachine, or iioff. which leperatet ihe feed material into an enriched portionepleted portion Thef uraniumil to become ihe enriched portion called Ow not

The degree ol enrkhment achievedage dependi on the tttjean* or rnrvhrnenr fetter In general. decrtai<p| ihe cuttage inceeaaet the enrichmentl Ihe wage, bul the flow of enriched ma (trial from the itagerge enrichment factor li deniable, very few itotopc teparatlon technique* .How moreery tmall degree ol enrichment at each tlage. Toiefoncentration. Iherefore. uranium muil be paueduce-i'ion of tiage*wcoaVaieed* baied on gateout dif lutloa, which cihibtl* an enmhment factor of, it made up of morendividual mage*

To perform utefjl ertncbnctrt. narural uranium It fed into allegein the portionateade The caacade tpliti ihat uranium into depleted uranium, -hi<hatiMraan from Ihe low end, or bottom, anj rrmched uraniumrom the lop of the caacade.

The flow of uranium varies fromtage la an idealhereatetl al Ihe ttage where natural unnium It led into the lyitem. On either tide ol thlt point th* flow gradually dentate* andinimum at the endt ol the encade where product and depleted uranium art withdrawn In an ideal cascade earh gtif- would be ilied according to It* place In the cucaoe. bul th* auodaed cent of building eaehdferenl me would be unecc-ptabl* high. Initcad.re. of equ-pment are manufactured and intialleeLmall resultant lou of efficiency.

In dividing urarium Into enrichedaT in amounl of

trpcrailc* Htfk tl performed. EnrichmentvJuaied fc? th* amounl ol teparativ* work involved; ttage* andlants are cUuJird by their capacitie* to perform teparafive work.

The aerodynamic nnvum enrichment prncrii developed by South Alrid ii intended to increate the talur ol eipotted urjii innd lo make tlie dometttc nuclearrognm "'pendent of foreign fuel MppSwfv Al "ilhrodyaaauc enrichment proceun.t the IVcl. -cote procra. thr South African proceit could brenrich uranium0, suitable .'nr nuclear wrjpotii production

Detail) of- technique

uvd la the Southuanal proemghtly Mid. Otherf the process hive been reported, however, auvii ai the working fiutdUlur- olfluonde and hydrogen)airly high enrich m-

A small enrichment plant, the Valindabo pilot plant Pretoria, hai been builtthe South African enrichment process*

THE ENRICHMENT PROCESS

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that Soelhnncnmenthien German promt, lhe on kef oiuii* pmceu. -err onlyoo-ifw.i -hen. A. Rouxerodynamic promtuted aCTnlnfuM"the teparating rifmrrt Thf operating PM1MN gi*en lor the promi fa*.muliirr of uranium(I'Fi) andoo high to lutgettnmpl( modification of ihe Beekrr prnm. U'he-cai the Becker promt hai alwey* opeuird below jlmmphenc prttture. Rouittated thaimt pietiu<e* in the Soulh African plant weretmotphrrtc andaximum preuuicup io 6The two ptoceuei.annol br rquatrd

Tht icpiralion factor fo- tne Soulh African tcpatalton element -at Mated to beO depending oo econora*kt (actor ua. ripLiinrd b*o be the degree of enrw+rnentda South Afncao tcparetioaht fart that Rout dewnbed the South African tcpaiatiori faetot at depending oaccmidcratiOAi lathergiteermg rotuiraintt unoltet thaicparatton cart be achieved not only in the laboratory but alton enhcnmenl plant.1

Accord mt to Rou it presentation, lhe South Af ncan promt involve! tmallhat Ik the amount of ennched uranfim lta*irg each Rage In an enrichment plantmail potiion of the uranium fed into theno*t. for eiample. flow diagram* oltlai ei lhata cutt. The ennched ttream ofhe flo- of tfce feed ttream; lhe depleted itreaee ha* th*.he uiual kmdut. the effect of uotopehnv timet greater for ihe enriched ttream than for the depleted inri-n. The

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Figure I. Ufor-vm Flo- TVo-gh two Tjpet ol Siogei

n small cil create*higrirr enrichment (actor thanbe achieved h> lhe Mine iqulpme.it operatingut. but tt complicate* tha inierronnecfem of tta'rilanto* itaget liVe (hit ma* ho arrangrdatcade loutelulolnt land to deplete the remaining -ait?She appropriate ettaniement lor ttagei likefitrcn loomplicated curadewithlhreo ennrhed itrrami II the cutimaller there would ben greater number of enriched it tea mi

(Uui claimed. In hit preientatloo at the Eurnpean Nnde-ar Conle-erce. thai lheor auociaied wiih the So, th Alncai peocew led toetoprventovel catcadeaaeej oo the principle that an atial (loo romptettor can limulianevutl. ttan-mit icier tl trreami oloncenlra-tiot" without Ihere being iitnilicanl mUlngthe rilled hit catcade technique lhe "helikon technique Tteloped later than lhe pilot plant lechnoWrcenot uwd at Vahnelihal

Mreamilon* *ct of tepwatWiplies thai lh* South Africane capable ol handlint-iiram* ol different (MSI cwncraltsllofl without mn.fi-1accoed.ng to Bom.modulenot limited lo on* separation factor of enrichment;modulo "can produce various degree* ol ennchmcnl up tomasurium olimes th* separation (ado* over the element."1

Consideration of this inftwrnallon hat resultedonceptnulh Africanhown Inhe anal compressor and teparatlon unit an built Into an inter.rated unit, ptihap* Including lh* heal exchangee thaieededov* th*erated by comp.rssion of :h* procewTha entire module it divided into segmenti, with phytlealetween the segment* wherever poulbl* to limit mising. For the purpoie of tiluitratinn. sureach romptenoe "nr..retanletow-preMure Inlet, becauseoeedrparaied inlo enriched sirramt that areh* original preuurt aod deplrled Hirins thai are0 Ihe engine! presvar*

There are certain advanugn inodule The module could bene grouptaiei operatingut.tem would ameliorate ihe complicated cascade anantcmenl required by individual stage* operating with cjl. coniiilenl with Rout's temai* lhal the hel'.hiti technique wa*becaute ol the tmall cut aitocialrd withSouth African peocsniodul* could be further wgmented and operated a* several trailer group! of (it siege* On* ilia of *qulpmeni could then be used throughout the caaeade. using multiple group* of imall legmrnli where the flow requirements are imall and uimg on* group of large leamenlt where 'he flow requirement! are greatest. Thi! would reduce lh* capital emi involved inlant.

THE VaUNDaBA ENKICHV.ENT PUNT

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Original document.

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