OID: USSR: LASER URANIUM PROCESSING

Created: 5/6/1976

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Interaational Oil Developments

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USSR: LASER URANIUM PROCESSING

Several countries, Including the Soviet Union, are striving toaser process lor producing enriched uranium. The technologies being developed may eventually have significant economic impact in reactor waste processing and genera! Isotope separation, as well as In uranium enrichment. The laser process could possibly produce enriched uranium for one-tenth the cost using other methods.

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Theaser Isotopesnew and potentially cheap method of enriching uranium for reactors or nuclear weapons. So far, the Soviet program has not progressed to the pointilot plant Is feasible. User separation of uranium isotopes could be economically attractive because existingaseous diffusion, gas centrifuge, and Beckerequire large capital investment, are expensive to operate, and are relativelyaser method might enable small countries to produce their own fuel for power reactors or nuclear materials for weapons.

Trie Soviets appear to beranium laser Isotope separation method similar to one being developed at the US Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. US and Soviet scientists appear to bear In their research on this method, which involves the use of cooled uranium hexafluoride gas.

Both the USSR and the United States are doing chemical, physical, and spectroscopic work In support of the process, but actual uranium isotope separation tests await the development of suitably powerful Lasers that can be operated at the precise wavelengths of light required. Some US experts predict that such lasers may become available by the.

Anothern which hot uranium metal vapor is Irradiated by laser beams to obtain isotoperobably has also been considered by the

process probably has less chance of commercial success because of formidable corrosion problems and the great amount of energy required to vaporize uranium metal at highS commercial firm Intends toilot plant based on this method

Uranium is only one of the many elements whose isotopes con potentially be separated very cheaply using Users. The Soviets were the first to publish on the successful laser separation of isotopes of nitrogen, osmium, and sulfur. Isotopes of certain other elements can be used as tracers or as radiation sources for medical purposes, and some have special electronics applications.

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