Uranium Enrichment

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-029269",
  "term": "Uranium Enrichment",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "After conversion, the UF6 gas is sent to an enrichment plant where the individual uranium isotopes are separated to produce enriched UF6, which has a 4% to 5% concentration of U-235. Two types of uranium enrichment processes have been used in the United States: gaseous diffusion and gas centrifuge. The United States currently has one operating enrichment plant, which uses a gas centrifuge process. Enriched UF6 is sealed in canisters and allowed to cool and solidify before it is transported to a nuclear reactor fuel assembly plant by train, truck, or barge. Atomic vapor laser isotope separation (AVLIS) and molecular laser isotope separation (MLIS) are new enrichment technologies currently under development. These laser-based enrichment processes can achieve higher initial enrichment (isotope separation) factors than the diffusion or centrifuge processes and can produce enriched uranium more quickly than other techniques.",
  "references": [
    "Adapted from Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration at https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=nuclear_fuel_cycle"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/uranium-enrichment/"
}