Alternative Applications of Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation Technology (1991) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix A: Overview of the AVLIS Process
Appendix A: Overview of the AVLIS Process
Pages 27-42
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From page 27... ...
interests have decided to add enrichment capacity based on the Urenco gas centrifuges. Centrifuges are being installed in Japan, and Asahi Chemical Industnes has a pilaf plant that uses a chemical process that it claims is competitive with the gas centrifuge.
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28 of c-a, A o - ~ ~5 2 _ ° ' Ott ~ C ~ ~1 t- · ~I To Q 1 =_ 1 _ O Cal O ~ ~ E0 o ~ ~ o O ~ E ; CO' 00 1 o =8 .
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In the separator, unenriched metallic uranic is vaporized by an electron beam that creates an atomic 235U/238U vapor stream that rapidly moves away from the uramum melt. At the "me time, dye lasers produce beams of red-orange light precisely tuned to the colors that will selectively photoioni7~.
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30 - \ Dye master oscillator \ Metallic uranium is melted and vaporized. The \Laser system vapor is illuminated by visible laser light that _ ~\ photoionizes the selected isotope.
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, but copper lasers operate at a temperature several hundred degrees higher. To engineer the AVLIS copper lasers and uranium separators, the AVLIS staff has expertise in selecting, motiving, and testing refractory metals, ceramics, and h~gh-effic~engy thermal and electrical insulators and in constructing electrically and mechanically complex precision mechanisms.
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A u, D __ Cal ~ _ it;_ U)
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33 ~n o ~8 , C~ _~ oe ~ a, 8 8 8 · 0 8 8 2 · = - · = .
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To provide an appreciation of the broad rate of transferable capabilities developed In the AVLIS program, the laser system, components, and engineering capabilities are described below In terms of products and/or capab~t~es. System Description: Ind~strial-Grade High-Average-Power Risible Laser Systems, Components, and Technology The laser facility shown in figure AT Is constructed by using a modular integration of copper and tunable dye lasers.
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35 W^~< \ \ · Copper laser system · Optical systems · Instrumentation and control systems · Laser support systems · Dye laser system · Refurbishment facilities FIGURE AN Industrial-grade high-average-power visible laser system.
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Typical operating characteristics are s~nnmarizect in Table A-2. TABLE A-2 Operating Charactenstics of AVLIS Copper Lasers Optical power System Single amplifier cham Wavelength Frequency bandwidth Operational mode Prf Pulse duration (FWHM)
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FIGURE A-S Copper laser corridor showing six copper laser chains.
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38 FIGURE AN Tunable dye laser system.
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Satellite subvessels at each end house the optical system to insert and control the AVLIS process laser beams' which interact with the vapor flow stream. Since a loss of vacuum or a water leak can generate a vigorous reaction with liquid metals, the vessel must also be designed to withstand moderate overpressure and release safely above a defined pressure limit.
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40 FIGURE A-7 Uranium AVLIS separator vacuum vessel.
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From page 41... ...
Historically, nearly all uranium enrichment has been performed in gaseous diffusion and centrifuge plants by using a molecular gas, U[6. Figure A-8 illustrates two technical paths to process naturally occurring uranium oxide (yellow caked through its venous chemical and enrichment stages and subsequent chemical processing to an oxide fuel pellet.
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From page 42... ...
42 O ~ :~l AL Lie T He ~ 1 8 Nan ~ In Ct Q [L.
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