Isotope separation program — present and future

Abstract

The availability of a broad spectrum of highly enriched isotopes is vitally important for the fabrication of nuclear targets used in basic and applied research. The Isotope Separation Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory prepares and distributes electromagnetically enriched stable isotopes on a worldwide basis to the scientific community. Topics discussed include: a brief review of the separation facility, a description of each production step, and future enrichment efforts. Current technology being applied in the electromagnetic isotope process to minimize stable isotope depletion rate and methods to achieve specific isotope requirements are emphasized. The availability of the Plasma Separation Process (PSP) equipment to augment the present stable isotope separation capability is addressed. The basic principles of the PSP are discussed, and its applicability to the isotopic enrichment of calutron feed-material and to the selective production of isotopes is examined.