Enrichment of uranium

Enrichment of uranium is the industrial increase of uranium-235’s proportion relative to uranium-238, usually by isotope separation. It produces uranium for fuel or other uses requiring a higher fissile-isotope concentration.

Gas centrifuge: A rapidly rotating device that separates substances by mass using centrifugal force. It is the dominant modern method for separating uranium isotopes.
Uranium-235: A fissile uranium isotope containing 92 protons and 143 neutrons. Enrichment raises this isotope’s proportion in the uranium product.
Low-enriched uranium: Uranium enriched to less than 20 percent uranium-235. Most commercial power-reactor fuel falls within this category.
Nuclear proliferation: The spread of nuclear weapons, weapons-usable materials, or related capabilities to additional states or actors. Enrichment technology can support civilian fuel production and create proliferation concerns.
Gaseous diffusion: A separation method that passes gas through porous barriers, exploiting differences in molecular speed. It was an early industrial method for enriching uranium hexafluoride.
Uranium-238: The most abundant natural uranium isotope, containing 92 protons and 146 neutrons. It is the principal isotope from which uranium-235 must be separated.
Highly enriched uranium: Uranium containing at least 20 percent uranium-235. This category includes material used in some research reactors and nuclear weapons.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: A 1968 treaty intended to limit the spread of nuclear weapons while supporting peaceful nuclear cooperation. Its safeguards framework addresses nuclear materials and facilities, including enrichment plants.
Uranium hexafluoride: A volatile uranium compound that is gaseous under suitable conditions and reacts readily with water. Its volatility allows uranium to pass through centrifuges and diffusion barriers as a gas.
Isotope: One of two or more atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons. Enrichment changes the relative abundance of uranium isotopes, not the element itself.

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