Method for separating and enriching isotope material, multistage rotor, and apparatus for separating and enriching isotope material

A method of enriching and separating an isotope material comprising:

• housing the isotope material in a condensed state containing elements of two or more kinds of isotopes in a rotor having a plurality of sedimentation tanks in a multistage arrangement;
• applying an acceleration field to the isotope material housed in the rotor under a temperature specified by the isotope material;
• and
• sequentially transferring the isotope material to one or more of the plurality of sedimentation tanks by liquid flow or plastic flow of the isotope material, and enriching and separating the isotopes of the isotope material in each of the sedimentation tanks using sedimentation of atoms through the acceleration field,
• wherein a temperature at a rotational center section of the rotor is made higher than a temperature at an outer periphery section of the rotor so that stirring of the material by a convection is prevented.

A rotor comprising:

• a receiving section configured to receive an isotope material in a condensed state containing elements of two or more kinds of isotopes, and rotatable about a rotational axis;
• and
• a plurality of sedimentation tanks disposed along an inner wall of the rotor coaxially with the receiving section, each tank having a connecting channel configured to allow the isotope material to exit the tank,
• wherein the rotor is configured so that:
• an acceleration field is generated in accordance with a rotation,
• the isotope material supplied to the receiving section is sequentially transferred to the plurality of sedimentation tanks through the connecting channels, and
• the isotopes of the isotope material are enriched and separated in each of the sedimentation tanks.

An apparatus for separating and enriching an isotope material comprising:

• a rotor having a receiving section of the isotope material which is rotatable about a rotational axis, and a plurality of sedimentation tanks disposed along an inner wall of the rotor coaxially with the receiving section each tank having a connecting channel configured to allow the isotope material to exit the tank;
• and
• supplying means of the isotope material for supplying the isotope material in a condensed state containing elements of two or more kinds of isotopes to the receiving section,
• wherein the apparatus is configured so that:
• an acceleration field is generated in accordance with a rotation,
• the isotope material supplied to the receiving section is sequentially transferred to the plurality of sedimentation tanks through the connecting channels, and
• the isotopes of the isotope material are enriched and separated in each of the sedimentation tanks.