摘要

Diagram illustrating the basic principle behind a Zippe-type gas centrifuge enrichment of uranium. Here the heavy isotope of uranium (U-238) is represented in dark blue, while the lighter isotope of uranium (U-235) is represented in light blue. The input gas (here represented as a fairly even mix of U-235 and U-238, though in reality natural uranium hexafluoride would have less than 1% of U-235 in it) is released into the center of the centrifuge and the centrifugal forces force the heavier gas to concentrate at the edges of the centrifuge and the lighter gas at the center. By heating the bottom of the centrifuge the lighter gas will be moved by convection currents to concentrate at the top while the heavier gas will concentrate at the bottom (scoops, not shown, would then extract the gases).

Here the effect is greatly exaggerated for conceptual simplicity; in reality it would be very subtle and it takes thousands of centrifuges chained together to enrich any substantial amount of uranium to any substantial amount of enrichment.

Created by User:Fastfission in Inkscape.

 

本W3C状态不明的矢量图使用Inkscape创作 .

许可协议

本作品已被作者Fastfission释出到公有领域。这适用于全世界。 在一些国家这可能不合法；如果是这样的话，那么： Fastfission无条件地授予任何人以任何目的使用本作品的权利，除非这些条件是法律规定所必需的。

If you want to credit someone, credit "Wikimedia Commons." Otherwise don't credit anyone, that's fine by me. --Fastfission 15:17, 14 April 2008 (UTC)