# US 10,319,486 B2 · Process and apparatus for condensation repressing isotope separation by laser activation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,319,486 B2 - Document ID: US10319486B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/207,333 - Filed: 2014-03-12 - Published: 2014-09-18 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-13 - Applicants: Jozef W. Eerkens - Inventors: Jozef W. Eerkens - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10319486B2 ## CPC - G21G 1/10: by bombardment with electrically charged particles (irradiation devices G21K5/00) - B01D 59/34: Separation by photochemical methods - G21G 2001/0094: {Other isotopes not provided for in the groups listed above} - G21G: CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ELEMENTS; RADIOACTIVE SOURCES (applications of radiation in general G21H5/00; handling particles, e.g. neutrons, or electromagnetic radiation not otherwise provided for G21K) - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) ## Abstract Isotope enrichment by laser activation wherein a multi-isotopic element Q, like Uranium, Silicon, Carbon is incorporated into gaseous QFn, QF6, QF4, QOmFn, etc and diluted in gas G like He, N2, Ar, Xe, SF6 or other inert gas; and wherein that mixture is cooled by adiabatic expansion or other means encouraging formation of dimers QF6:G in a supersonic super-cooled free jet; and wherein that jet is exposed to laser photons at wavelengths that selectively excite predetermined molecules iQF6 to iQF6*, thereby inducing rapid VT conversions and dissociations of iQF6*:G→iQF6+G+kT, while leaving non-excited dimers jQF6:G intact; and wherein a skimmer separates the supersonic free-jet core stream containing heavier jQF6:G dimers from lighter core-escaped iQF6-enriched rim gases. Particularly an advanced technique is disclosed to enrich iUF6 by free jet expansion and isotope-selective dimerization suppression, utilizing a molecular CO laser and intra-cavity UF6 irradiation with laser lines overlapping predetermined iUF6 absorptions; and providing multiple free jet separator units irradiated by one laser beam, thereby enhancing process economics. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for enriching a selected isotope of uranium from a mixture of gaseous UF6 isotopomers in a supersonic low-pressure flow chamber, comprising the steps of: a. super-cooling multiple axisymmetric supersonic free jets comprising UF6 and carrier gases by adiabatic expansion of said gases from a common feed chamber into a common flow chamber through multiple inlet nozzles and in each of said supersonic free jets, thereby creating an axisymmetric supersonic jet core flow surrounded radially by a barrel shaped shock region and subsonic chamber-background rim gas; b. selectively exciting isotopomers of UF6 in a mixture of UF6 and carrier gases using photons and providing via said multiple jets acting together, an increased total peripheral escape surface area for said selectively excited UF6 isotopomers entering said chamber background rim gas; c. separating said supersonic jet core flows in each of said multiple jets from said subsonic chamber-background rim gas, by capturing said supersonic jet-core flows in said free jets with recovery skimmers, each said skimmer located opposite each inlet nozzle so as to intercept each supersonic core flow of each supersonic free jet; and d. wherein said multiple inlet nozzles producing said supersonic free jets are spaced apart in line internally on one side of said flow chamber, and wherein each of said skimmers is paired with one of said inlet nozzles and is located a distance away opposite said one of said gas inlet nozzles on the other internal side of said flow chamber. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the supersonic free jets comprise a mixture of carrier gases G and UF6 in a predetermined UF6/G molecular ratio. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the selected uranium isotope is one of U-232, U-233, U-234, U-235, U-236, U-237, or U-238. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein said supersonic free jets enter said flow chamber from a feed chamber having a gas pressure at least twice that of the flow chamber. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The process of claim 4 wherein said supersonic free jets enter said flow chamber via one of: a Laval nozzle and an open orifice connecting said feed chamber to said flow chamber. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein said skimmers separate said rim gas from said supersonic core flows of said supersonic free jets and said rim gas is pumped out separately from said supersonic core flows of said supersonic free jets. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2, wherein said carrier gas G comprises a heavy chemically inert gaseous molecule with a high gas coefficient γ=Cp/Cv. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2, wherein said carrier gas G is one of Xe, Rn, SF6, and SiBr4. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2, wherein said carrier gas G is a mixture of two gases Y and Z, wherein Y comprises one of He, Ar, and N2, and Z comprises one of Xe, SF6, and SiBr4. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2, wherein the predetermined UF6/G molecular ratio is between 1/100 and 1/0. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein said photons are produced by selected emission lines from a 5-micron CO laser. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, wherein said selected emission lines overlap the absorption lines of the 3v3 excited vibrations of UF6. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, wherein said selected emission lines are the P8-15 line at 1876.30 cm−1 and the P7-21 line at 1876.63 cm−1 whose frequencies overlap the absorption lines of the 3v3 hot-band vibrations of 235UF6 with hot co-vibrations vh=v6, v4, v5, and 2v6. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, wherein said selected emission line is the P9-9 line at 1874.45 cm−1 whose frequency overlaps the absorption line of the 3v3 hot-band vibration of 238UF6 with hot co-vibration vh=2v6. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, wherein said selected emission lines are produced by a resonator mirror set comprising a cooled suitably-angled ruled diffraction grating at a first end and a cooled retro mirror with substantially 100% reflectivities at a second end, between which said laser beam is generated traversing bidirectionally through a laser plasma gain section and through said supersonic free jets inside an intracavity flow chamber. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The process of claim 15, wherein said supersonic free jets have supersonic free jet axes and wherein said laser beam crosses said free jet axes cross-wise. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, wherein said 5-micron CO laser is a high-power continuous (CW) running CO laser. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, wherein said 5-micron CO laser is a high-peak-power pulsed CO laser and the flows of said supersonic jets are pulsed in synchronization with said CO laser pulses. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The process of claim 15, wherein said laser beam has an intra-cavity bi-directional intensity equaling or exceeding 3 kW per cm2 for a single grating-selected laser line. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11 wherein a selected emission line from said CO laser is ultra-fine frequency-shifted to coincide with one of the peak Q-branch absorptions of the selected UF6 isotopomer.