US 4,066,893 A · Isotope separation by ion waves

Abstract

One of the isotopes of an element having several isotopes can be separated from the others in a dense, neutral plasma. Thus initially a neutral plasma is prepared including the element in question. This may consist of positive ions and negative electrons or alternatively of positive and negative ions, or else of a mixture of positive ions, negative ions and electrons. The plasma may then be injected into a magnetic field or may be generated in the field where more energy is imparted to a selected isotope than to the others. Finally, the isotopes are separated from each other on the basis of their differential energies. For example, the selected isotope may be given more energy than the others by stimulating it within the plasma at its resonant frequency which may be close to the cyclotron frequency, either by an electric field or by a magnetic field. In order to excite the other isotope, a different resonant frequency is required which depends on the plasma density, the relative concentration of electrons if the plasma contains electrons, the strength of the magnetic field, the ratio of charge to mass of the isotope, and possibly on the physical parameters of the plasma apparatus itself, such as the ratio of the length of the plasma column to its radius. The more energetic isotope may be separated by energy dependent chemical reactions, it may be collected by a positively biased probe or else the isotopes may be separated from each other by magnetic fields or in various other ways.

Claims4

Dependent claims

The method of separating one isotope of an element from the others which comprise the steps of:

a. generating a dense, substantially electrically neutral plasma including an element having at least two ionized isotopes to be separated;
b. maintaining each volume at a different electric potential and
c. maintaining each volume at a different electric potential and
d. generating a plasma shock wave in one of the volumes, whereby an ion wave is launced and the ionized isotope of the smaller mass is preferentially scattered by the propagating wavefront of the ion wave, while the ionized isotope of greater mass is capable of passing the wavefront, thereby to separate the isotopes.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Isotope separation by ion waves

Life of this patent

Isotope separation by ion waves

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims4