JPH03150324A - Isotope separating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the sepn. of isotope varying in the degree of concentration by providing plural stages or troughs on a recovering plate at the time of heating and evaporating a metallic raw material contg. plural kinds of the isotope and ionizing the specific isotope by a laser beam to recover the isotope on the recovering plate. CONSTITUTION:A crucible 4 for evaporation contg. the metallic raw material 3 contg. plural kinds of the isotope is installed in a sepn. chamber 1 of a vacuum state. This metallic raw material 3 is irradiated with an electron beam by which the metallic raw material 3 is heated to a molten state and is evaporated. The vapor flow 7 thereof is irradiated with the laser beam 9 which selectively stimulates only the specific isotope, by which the specific isotope is made into the ionized isotope. This isotope is recovered by the product recovering plate 10 formed by alternately disposing anode electrodes and cathode electrodes. The other isotope is recovered by the waste material recovering plate 11. since the evaporating source has a width, the other neutral atoms stick to the product recovering plate 10 and, therefore, plural stages of the troughs 12 are installed to the cathode electrode of the recovering plate 10 by segmenting the same at every equal distance in the height direction from the crucible 4. The specific ionized isotope is thus easily separated and recovered to the product of the low concn. and the product of the high concn.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention selectively excites only a specific isotope in a metal raw material containing multiple types of isotopes with a laser beam, and ionizes it. The present invention relates to an isotope separation device that electrically separates and collects isotopes.

(Prior art) An atomic laser isotope separation method in which a metal raw material containing multiple types of isotopes is heated and evaporated, and the vapor stream is irradiated with laser light of a specific wavelength to selectively recover specific isotopes. The conventional conceptual configuration of the system will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The isotope separation apparatus consists of a vacuum container 2 that airtightly houses the main body in a substantially vacuum state, and various devices constituting the main body. A metal raw material 3 containing a plurality of types of isotopes is stored in an evaporation crucible 4 having thermochemical resistance.

On the other hand, an electron beam 6 emitted from an electron gun 5 is deflected by a deflection magnetic field, and a metal raw material 3 is housed in an evaporation crucible 4.
irradiate. As a result, the metal raw material 3 is heated and evaporated through a molten layer, resulting in a vapor flow of isotope metal. This steam flow is guided by a collimator 8 to flow in a predetermined direction. In the vapor stream 7, a specific isotope that is characterized by separation and recovery, and other isotopes and metal atoms that are not intended for recovery are mixed.

Next, this vapor flow is irradiated with a laser beam 9 that selectively targets only a specific isotope. Here, a laser beam 9 having a wavelength equal to the resonance excitation energy of a specific isotope is employed. The excited specific isotope is further exposed to laser light in stages, and electrons in the outer shell of the atom are expelled, turning it into a positively charged ionized isotope.

A product recovery plate 10 formed by alternately arranging positive and negative electrodes is provided in the path of the vapor flow, and the vapor flow containing ionized isotopes covers the electric field space formed between the entire product recovery plates. As it passes, only specific ionized isotopes with positive charges are attracted to the surface of the negative electrode and recovered as a product.

On the other hand, the vapor flow containing non-ionized isotopes and neutral metal atoms passes between the entire product collection plates without being affected by the electric field, and is collected by adhering to the waste product collection plate 11 disposed on the secondary side. Ru.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the isotope separation apparatus having the above configuration, metal evaporation from the evaporation crucible 4 serving as the evaporation source flows into the product recovery plate 10 as a vapor flow.

Regarding this vapor flow, since the evaporation source has a width as shown in FIG. 4, unionized neutral atoms (not shown) other than the isotope to be separated and recovered may adhere to the product recovery plate 10. Therefore, the concentration of the isotope to be recovered will be reduced.

Due to this phenomenon, on the product collection plate 10 having a certain height, the particles adhere with a certain distribution in the height direction, as shown in FIG. The ionized isotope atoms to be extracted are adsorbed onto the adhering neutral atoms due to the potential difference, but the concentration of the adsorbed isotope atoms differs in the height direction.

Adsorbed isotope atoms have conventionally been collected as a whole on the product collection plate, but this phenomenon has been a factor in reducing the concentration as a whole.

The present invention was made in view of the above points, and aims to recover highly concentrated adsorbed isotopes without reducing their concentration.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The isotope separation apparatus of the present invention has a structure in which the cathode of the product recovery plate is divided into sections according to distances in the height direction from the crucible, and a plurality of troughs are installed.

(Function) In the isotope separation device configured as described above, the ionized isotope atoms collected on the product collection plate are ionized by other isotope atoms (neutral atoms) that fly directly from the metal vapor source and are adsorbed. The concentration is determined, but the density of neutral atoms adhering to the product collection plate is already determined as a function of the height from the vapor source.

Therefore, it is possible to separate isotopes with different concentrations using multiple isotope recovery troughs installed in stages according to the distance from the evaporation source.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing how the gutter 12 is installed.

11 on the product collection plate 10 depending on the distance from the crucible 4.
12 is attached.

As a result, the neutral atoms adhering to the product recovery plate 1O from the vapor flow generated from the evaporation crucible 4 are classified by the gutter 12 according to the density of adhesion of neutral atoms.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Since the isotope separation device of the present invention has a gutter attached to the cathode, a specific ionized isotope can be easily separated and recovered into a low-concentration product and a high-concentration product.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view of an isotope separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figs. 2 and 3 are front and side views of a conventional isotope separation device, respectively, and Fig. 4 is a side view of an isotope separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the state of neutral atoms adhering to the product recovery plate due to the vapor flow, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of analysis of the neutral atom adhesion density distribution to the product recovery plate. l...Separation chamber 2--Vacuum container 3--
・Metal raw material 4... Evaporation crucible 5...
Linear electron gun 6...-electron beam 7--vapor flow 8...collimator 9--laser beam lO...product collection board 11--waste product collection board 12...gutter agent patent attorney rules Ken Chika Ken Yudo Deshimaru 1
Figure 1 ``', - < l I j '' HLIO Figure 3 Figure 2 Figure 4 0 f, Japanese starch] Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] A metal raw material containing multiple types of isotopes is heated and evaporated, the vapor stream is irradiated with laser light with a predetermined wavelength, specific isotopes in the vapor stream are selectively excited, and the ionized isotopes are separated using an electric field. An isotope separation device characterized in that a product recovery plate for isotope separation and recovery is provided with a plurality of troughs.