The article talks about why to enrich uranium, what it is, where it is extracted, its application and what the enrichment process consists of.
The beginning of the atomic era
Such a substance as uranium is known to people from the most ancient times. But unlike our time, they used it only to create a special glaze for ceramics and some types of paint. Natural uranium oxide was used for this, the deposits of which can be found in various quantities on almost all continents of the world.
Much later, chemists became interested in this element. So, in 1789, the German scientist Martin Klaprot managed to obtain uranium oxide, which in its parameters was similar to metal, but it was not. And only in 1840, the French chemist Peligo synthesized real uranium - heavy, silver and radioactive metal, which Dmitry Mendeleev added to his table of periodic elements. So why do uranium need to be enriched and how does this happen?
Nowadays
In fact, natural uranium ore is not much different from the rest. These are massive rust-colored cobblestones, which are mined in the mines in the most usual way - they explode layers of deposits and transport them to the surface for subsequent processing. The fact is that this natural substance contains only 0.72% of the U235 isotope. This is not enough for use in reactors or weapons, and then after sorting it is transferred to a gaseous state and begin to enrich uranium.
In general, there are many methods of this process, but gas centrifugation is the most promising and used in Russia.
A gaseous compound of uranium is pumped into special installations, after which they are untwisted to tremendous speeds, and heavier molecules are separated from the lungs and grouped at the walls of the drum.
Then these fractions are separated and one of them is converted into uranium dioxide - a dense and solid substance, which is then Packed into a kind of "tablets" and burn in the oven. It is for this purpose that uranium must be enriched, since the percentage of the U235 isotope at the output is an order of magnitude greater, and it can be used both in reactors and in weapon systems.
Export
If we give a simplified example, the enrichment of this element is essentially reminiscent of the production of iron - in its original, natural form, it is worthless pieces of ore, which are then converted into strong steel by various processing.
Also in the press you can often hear the fact that many less developed countries compared to the same Russia often ask themselves how to make enriched uranium.
The fact is that this process, given the example of gas centrifugation, is very complicated, and not everyone can build such plants. Moreover, you need not only one thing, but their whole cascade. In order to realize their technical level, it is worth saying that these "drums" rotate at a speed of 1500 rpm and without stopping. Record - 30 years! Therefore, some countries buy enriched uranium in Russia.
Where is uranium mined in Russia?
93% of uranium ore is mined in Transbaikalia, near the city of Krasnokamensk. And enriched uranium in Russia is produced by TVEL OJSC.
Application
We figured out the process of turning into a highly effective compound, but why is it needed? We will analyze the two most basic areas.
First, of course, nuclear reactors. They provide electricity to entire cities, power autonomous spacecraft to study the far corners of our solar system, stand on submarines, icebreakers, research ships.
The second is a weapon of mass destruction. The truth is worth clarifying - it is precisely uranium in bombs that has not been used for a long time, and weapons-grade plutonium has replaced it . It is obtained through special irradiation in reactors of low enriched uranium.
Myths and interesting facts
Often, even in the years of the USSR, it was believed that especially dangerous criminals or “enemies of the people” were referred to uranium mines so that they could atone for their blame for their transient labor. And of course, for a long time they did not stay there because of radiation.
This is actually not the case. There is no particular danger in working at such a mining, natural ore is little radioactive, and a person, if placed in a mine without danger, will die more from a lack of sun and fresh air than radiation sickness.
Nevertheless, working conditions are gentle among workers, only 5 hours a day, and many work there for generations, debunking the myth of the terrible destructiveness of such a production.
And from the depleted uranium, by the way, the cores of weapon shells are made. The fact is that uranium is much heavier and stronger than lead, as a result of which such damaging elements are more effective, and even have the property of igniting as a result of destruction, after mechanical action on them.
So we figured out why enriched uranium is needed, where it is used and for what purpose.