Some Regularities of Component Transfer in a Double Cascade with Carrier Gas during Reprocessed Uranium Enrichment

The process of reprocessed uranium enrichment according to a double-cascade scheme using an inert carrier gas to purify the regenerate from the isotope 232U is considered. Using the quasi-ideal cascade model, numerical studies of the influence of various process parameters on the distribution of key isotopes and the integral characteristics of the system were carried out. The limits of the possible purification effect, determined by the proportion of carrier gas in the feed of the second cascade while maintaining external enrichment conditions, are estimated. It is shown that an increase in the proportion of carrier gas in the second cascade feed leads to an increase in the isotope 236U content in the final product, which entails a significant (more than 1%) increase in 235U enrichment. In addition, the efficiency of the cascade scheme in terms of purification from 232U is largely determined by the choice of the operating mode of individual separation devices.