The fundamental principles of uranium enrichment applying a laser method. Conceptual design of a pilot plant. Phase 2. Final report

The separation physics tests examining the performance of the method under conditions close to routine operation, i.e. with high UF6 densities, demonstrated the enrichment of natural uranium to percentages between 5 and 6% in one process step. Tests with the appropriate critical components show that the 16μm laser systems can be scaled to the required repetititon rates of more than 1 kHz. The project report also presents a draft design for the molecular laser process, including a tentative cost estimate. (orig.)