ORNL-5388 - the Molten Salt Energy Technologies Web Site

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either large centrifuge pilot plants or small commercial-sized plants, more so than for any
other enrichment process, so it is apparent that this technology is widely understood and
applied. A brief description of the centrifuge process, as well as descriptions of other
current and future separation technologies, is given in Appendix A.
The application of centrifuge technology to a small plant capable of producing a
couple of hundred kilograms of uranium enriched to 90% 235U has not proved to be inordinately
expensive.
Two examples can be provided. An article appearing in two journals7'8 presents
information on a proposed Japanese centrifuge plant.
in 1980,, is designed to produce 50 MT SWU/yr in a 7000-machine facility.
the facility was estimated by the Japanese to be $166.7 million.
the individual centrifuge separation capacity of 7 kg SWU/yr and a centrifuge cost of ap-
proximately $24,000 (which includes its share of all plant facilities).
This plant, which could be operational
The total cost of
Simple arithmetic yields
An upper limit for the cost of developing a small gas centrifuge enrichment facility
can be estimated from published costs from the United States uranium gas centrifuge program.
A paper by Kiserq provides a convenient summary of the status and cumulative costs for the
U.S. program. The Component Test Facility, a plant which is expected to have a separative
capacity of 50 MT SWU/yr (see Appendix A), was operational in January of 1977. To that
date, the cumulative cost of the entire U.S. gas centrifuge program was given as about $310
million. Of this total, about $190 million was identified as development costs. The remaining
$120 million was identified as equipment and facility expense. Further, only about $30
million was identified as being technology investigation. Even more intriguing is that
within the initial 3-year development program (beginning in 1960 and budgeted at $6 million),
the following accomplishments were recorded.
a. The operating performance of the gas centrifuge was greatly improved.
b. Small machines were successfully cascaded in 1961 (one year after initiation of the
c.
contract).
When the last of these units was shut down in 1972, some machines had run continu-
ously for about eight years.
That these centrifuges were not commercially competitive with gaseous diffusion may be ir-
relevant when they are considered as a candidate for a clandestine enrichment facility.
as stated above, of the current technologies, the centrifuge process would probably be
selected.
The utilization of the developing technologies (laser, plasma, etc,) for a
clandestine enrichment facility is not currently feasible. Successful development of these
technologies by any of the numerous national research groups would make them candidates
for such a facility, however, and they would offer the decided advantages of a high separa-
tion factor, low-power requirement and modular construction.
Effect of 232U on the Enrichment Process and Product. A1
contain substantial amounts of 232U. As mentioned earlier in th
ducts from Z3*U (t+ = 72 yr) release highly energetic gama rays
complicate both the enrichment process and the subsequent weapon fabrication.
Thus,
fuels containing 23311 also
s report, the daughter pro-
and alpha particles that can