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SEPARATION PROCESS (GASEOUS DIFFUSION (Disadvantages (Difficult to…
SEPARATION PROCESS
GASEOUS DIFFUSION
Disadvantages
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Besides the massive scale involved, some other challenges are the need for a porous barrier to accommodate uranium hexafluoride, one of the most corrosive gases in the world.
Molecules of a lighter isotopes will pass throught a porous barrier more readily than those of a heavier isotope.
The lighter molecules are the fastest, thus statistically they will strike the wall more often.
The isotopes are thus separated, and this separation yields enrichment
Uranium hexafluoride converted to uranium dioxide to pressed in to ceramic pellet of enriched uranium.
CENTRIFUGAL
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Centrifugal force in a cylinder spinning rapidly on its vertical axis would separate a gaseous mixture of two isotopes.
Procedures
- Preparative- For isolation purposes
- Analytical- Measuring physical properties
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FRACTIONAL DISTALLATION
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When the mixing liquid is heated, the liquid that boils in lowest temperature will turns into vapor and the vapor will condensed
THERMAL DIFFUSION
Relative motion of the components of a gaseous mixture of the solution, which is established when there is a temperature gardient in a medium.
Methods
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If two gases or liquid are exposed to a temperature gradient between two surfaces, the atom with the lower molecular weight will tend to move towards hotter surface.
Two gases will separate until a concentration gradient occurs resulting in concentration diffusion pf equal magnitude in the opposite direction (counterbalance).
Advantages
Provide other separation methods or are more costly when prepared by alternate means with emphasis on concentration isotopes of the inert gas.
Can easily be enriched to any desired concentration if a proper thermal diffusion cascade is constructed.
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Disadvantages
Irreversible process and therefore require a large quantity of energy per gram of material separated.
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ELECTROMAGNETIC
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Its mechanism is similar to mass spectrometer (A charged particle will follow a circular trajectory when passing through a uniform magnetic field).
ELECTROLYSIS
Technique that uses a direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-sponteneous chemical reaction.
Principles
Electrolysis of water produces hydrogen gas at the cathode, which contains a lower pro portion of deuterium than the original water. The isotope effect stems from the differences in the rates of dissociation of a proton (H+) and deuteron (D+) from water, and the rates of neutralization of these hydrated ions, and thus has a kinetic basis
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CHEMICAL EXCHANGE
Usually, where large quantities are desired and cost must be considered, attention is directed toward chemical means of separation.
Isotope separation can also be carried out by chemical reactions in which the isotopes of the element undergoing separation change places.
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Limitations
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Therefore, not likely to apply this method successfully to heavy isotopes like uranium.