CA1047172A - Separation of mixtures of gaseous isotopes - Google Patents
Separation of mixtures of gaseous isotopesInfo
- Publication number
- CA1047172A CA1047172A CA229,943A CA229943A CA1047172A CA 1047172 A CA1047172 A CA 1047172A CA 229943 A CA229943 A CA 229943A CA 1047172 A CA1047172 A CA 1047172A
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- mixture
- wave
- molecules
- nodes
- slit
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J49/00—Particle spectrometers or separator tubes
- H01J49/26—Mass spectrometers or separator tubes
- H01J49/34—Dynamic spectrometers
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D59/00—Separation of different isotopes of the same chemical element
- B01D59/50—Separation involving two or more processes covered by different groups selected from groups B01D59/02, B01D59/10, B01D59/20, B01D59/22, B01D59/28, B01D59/34, B01D59/36, B01D59/38, B01D59/44
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- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21K—TECHNIQUES FOR HANDLING PARTICLES OR IONISING RADIATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; IRRADIATION DEVICES; GAMMA RAY OR X-RAY MICROSCOPES
- G21K1/00—Arrangements for handling particles or ionising radiation, e.g. focusing or moderating
- G21K1/08—Deviation, concentration or focusing of the beam by electric or magnetic means
Abstract
ABSTRACT
A standing electromagnetic wave having nodes, penetrates through a gaseous jet of the mixture of the isotopes to be separated, while relative motion takes place between the wave and mixture in such a manner that the isotopes are prevented from dwelling in the vicinity of the wave nodes while the isotopes are traversed by the electromagnetic wave. By adjusting the frequency of the electromagnetic wave so that the individual isotopes of the mixture are selectively influenced differently as far as their dipole behav-ior is concerned, they can be segregated by the electric and/or magnetic field of the wave. Undesirable effects of such dwelling can also be reduced by the angularity at which the wave penetrates the gaseous jet.
A standing electromagnetic wave having nodes, penetrates through a gaseous jet of the mixture of the isotopes to be separated, while relative motion takes place between the wave and mixture in such a manner that the isotopes are prevented from dwelling in the vicinity of the wave nodes while the isotopes are traversed by the electromagnetic wave. By adjusting the frequency of the electromagnetic wave so that the individual isotopes of the mixture are selectively influenced differently as far as their dipole behav-ior is concerned, they can be segregated by the electric and/or magnetic field of the wave. Undesirable effects of such dwelling can also be reduced by the angularity at which the wave penetrates the gaseous jet.
Description
~47172 The present invention concerns a method and apparatus for physically separating gaseous mixtures of matter, particularly isotopes, wherein at least one beam of a polarized electromagnetic wave is directed through such a mixture and the frequency or wave length, of the electromagnetic wa~e is ad-justed so that the dipole behavior of the individual components of the mix-ture, is selectively and differently influenced and the isotopes are segreg-ated by the electric and~or magnetic field of the beam. As it does also in other separating methods, the problem arises here to increase the separating performance or the throughput and to optimize them with respect to the power to be supplied, a laser normally being used to provide the w~ve or beam.
According to this invention, the be~am of the polarized wave, by means of a resonator syste~, forms a standing wave which is traversed by a flow of the mixture of isotopes to be separated, and the standing wave is moved and/or the flow of the mixture of substances is directed so that relat_ ive motion takes place between the standing wave and the flow of the mixture of isotopes in such a manner that the isotopes are prevented fr~n dw~lling in the vicinity of the nodes of the standing ~ave while being traversed by the electromangetic wave, e.g , a laser beam. By thus increasing the effective energy density in the resonator system, a considerably bet~er utilization of the energy contained in the electromagnetic wave is achieved Further improvement c~n be obtained by dividing the standing polar_ ized wave, by means of a mirror system, into practically parallel wave trains which are displaced against each other in the direction of the beam by abOut one_quarter wave length. ThePeby, a more uniform deflection of the i~topes over the entire beam length is achieved. In addition, the cross section of the electromagnetic radiation is also increased, which is equi~alent to lengthening the mean dwelling time of the isotopes to be influenced within the electromagnetic field of beam.
With regard to the physical relations which come to bear for this separating method, it is i~portant~ if the separation is effected by deflection of the isotopes by the electric field, th~t the strength of the electric field, referred to the cross section of khe beam~ does not have the same value everywhere but exhibits a gradient in or against the direction of the field. The two poles of the molecular dipole of the mixturets components, are thereby exposed to different field strengths, ~o that an electric force acts on every molecular dipole. The vibration amp]itudes of the molecular dipole are here a maximum if the exciting frequency of the electromagnetic oscillation corresponds to the resonance frequency. However, there is a phase differ~nce between the exciting a-c field and the vibration of the molecule, which approaches 180 with increasing frequency if the frequency of the exciting field is slightly higher than the resonance frequency of the molecule involved. With decreasing frequency, this phase difference approach_ e9 the value zero, if the frequency of the exciting field is lower than the resonance frequency of the mole~ule.
In the mixture of matter to be separated, it is to be understood that at least two kinds of molecules with somewhat different resonance frequencies are involved. If the exciting frequency lies here between these two resonance frequencies, the one molecule vibrates nearly in phase and the other, nearly in phase opposite to the exciting field, which means that the two kinds of molecules are deflected in an inhomogeneous field in opposite directions permitting their segregation from each other.
According to the present invention, the beam of the polarized wave is form0d by means of the resonator system, a technique known per se, and a standing wave is traversed by the flow of the gaseous mixture of isotopes to be separated. In a standing wave, however, there are wave nodes at which the field strength and therefore, the separating effect, is ~ero However, this disadvantage of the standing wa~e is compensated b~ the provi~ion that between the standing wave and the ~low of the mixture of isotopes, such a relative motion takes place that the isotopes are prevented from dweI~ing in the 3~ vicinity of the wave nodes while traY~rsing the electromagnetic waves. In ~4717Z
this manner, the advantage of the standing wave, such as its higher energy density, is practically completely preserved without the occurrence of ineffective regions.
Thus, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for physically separating gaseous mixture of matter or isotopes in which at least one beam of a polarized electromagnetic wave is directed through such a mixture of matter or isotopes and the frequenc~ of the electromagnetic wave is adjusted in such a manner that the dipole behavior of the individual components of this mixture is influencecl select-ively and differently and the components are segregated by the electric and/or magnetic field of the beam; wherein the improvement is that the beam of the polarized wave-form, by means of a resonator system, is formed as a standing wave having nodes which is traversed by the flow of the mixture of substances to be separated and the standing wave is moved and/or the flow of the mixture of substances is directed in such a manner that a relative motion takes place between the standing wave and the flow of the mixture of substances, so that the particles of the substance are prevented from dwelling in the vicinity of the wave nodes during the passage of the electromagnetic wave, e.g~, a laser beam.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a separator for separating a gaseous mixture of molecules, comprising a supply vessel for the mixture to be separated and which is provided with a slit orifice, a separation chamber to which the slit orifice is connected, and which is adjustable as to vaccuum and cooling; a slit grid arranged in front of the slit orifice with a multiplicity of slits parallel to the slit orifice for dividing a jet of the mixture of substances from the slit orifice into a multiplicity of individual jets; means for forming an electromagnetic wave beam of required wave length which is arranged to form polarized standing waves traversing the multiplicity of jets of the mixture of substances in ~ -3-1~47~7Z
front of the slit grid in their entire width; a further slit grid, a partition for the separation chamber in which the further slit grid is arranged, a grid with many slits, the chamber having a collecting wall in front of which the grid with the many slits is arranged, all slits of all of the s-Lit grids being placed so that they lie on straight connecting lines.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for separating a gaseous mixture of molecules having differing resonances; comprising forming a polari3ed standing electromagnetic wave beam having nodes and a frequency causing deflection of the molecules in different directions relative to each other, and flowing the mixture through the beam while preventing the molecules from dwelling at the beam's nodes, so that the molecules are separated by deflection in different directions relative to each other.
The separation of isotopes is of considerab:Le importance today.
However, other substances are also capable of being excited by a polarized electromagnetic wave and can be segregated or separated from each other by the forces of the wave or laser beam and can be considered to be equivalents of isotopes.
The accompanying drawings schematically illustrate the principles of the present invention, the various figures being as follows:
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of an apparatus for separating gaseous mixtures of isotopes, for example;
Figure 2 is a cross section of the apparatus;
Figure 3 graphically shows the field strength of the electromagnetic wave;
Figure 4 is like Figure 1, but shows a second example;
Figure 5 is a cross section of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is like Figure 1 but shows a third example of the apparatus;
Figure 7 is a cross section of Figure 6;
-3a-1~47~`7Z
Figure 8 is a longitudinal section showing the details required for a complete apparatus using the principles illustrated by the preceding figures;
Figure 9 shows the pattern of the jets of the gaseous mixtures of isotopes, invol~ed by the example shown by Figure 8;
Figure lO in longitudinal section shows still another examp].e;
Fugure ll in longitudinal section provides another example;
Figure 12 is a cross section of the apparatus shown by Figure ll;
Figure 13 shows in longitudinal section an apparatus operating on a different principle of segregation or separation than that of the other example~;
Figure l~ is a cross section taken on the line XIV-XIV in Figure ~, -3b-~7~7~
13;
Figure 15 shows a detail of Figure 13;
Figure 16 shows still another detail; and Figure 17 shows a modified collection system.
The exc~mple shown in Figures 1 to 3 illustrates the principles of a separating apparatus, in which a gas jet of a gaseous mixture traverses successively tWG standing waves which are displaced relative to each other by 1/4 ~. The electromagnetic waves are linearly polarized in such a manner that the vector of the electric field is essentially perpendicular to the direct-ion of propagation of the gas jet, Due to the displacement in space of the two standing waves, a molecule which has tra~ersed the first beam at a node and has therefore not been e~posed to a de~lection impulse, hits ~l antinode in the second beam, Thus, the deflection becomes con~iderably more uniform, Figure 1 shows a longltudinal cross section through such an apparatus, The acti~e laser zone is designated with L; the laser beam emerges on both sides via the Brewster windows B and remains in a resonance system which consists essentiall~ of the mirrors SPl and SP3, Part of the laser beam is reflected via a beam divider ST toward the mirror SP2 and from there is thrown ag~in onto the mirror SP3. The latter also forms a resonance system and a standing wave S2 of its own. The latter, however, is displaced in the axial direction relative to the standing wa~e Sl by a step A in the mirror SP3, so ~hat the shape of the field strength ~hown in Figure 3 results in the z-direction (optical axis), The height of the step of the mirror SP3 must therefore be about~ /4 or ~n ~ /4), In order to avoid the losses at the beam divider ST of the backward w~ve, these components are re~lected back by the mirror SP4 with the correct phase. The necessary fine adjustment o~ the mirrors and the radiators of the beams divider is carried out in a manner kno~n per se~
e,g" by means of piezo-ceramic devices, The gas je~, which consists o~ a mixture of the two substances Ml and M2 to be separa~ed, first goes through the orifice D, then ~hrough a ~471 72 diaphragm BL and is thereupon deflected in the laser beam selectivel~ in accordance with the resonances of the components Ml and M2, so that they can be separately collected in the collector A. Figure 2 shows a cross section through the apparatus of Figure 1 In Figure 4, a further example of implementing the principles of the invention is shown. Here, the laser beam coming from the laser zone L
is introduced into the resonator via the output mirror AS The resonator consistS of the input mirror ~S and the mirror SP5. The input mirror ~S and the mirror SP5 are connected here with motion mechc~nisms Pl and P2, for instance, of an electrical type~ which permit the resonator and therefore, the standing wave, to oscillate in the axial direction. The gas jet comes from an orifice, as in the previous example, and the separated co~ponents are collected separately in the collector A Figure 5 shows a cross section of the apparatus shown in Figure 4 The velocity generated by the motion mechanisms Pl and P2, which is superimposed on the standing wave, is here chosen so that particles of the gas jet are subjected everywhere to about the same deflection after passing through the wave, but that is not so large, on the other hand, that the Doppler effect and the fre~uency shift accompanying it becomes excessive as ~ar as the separating effect is concerned.
For instance, if the gas jet traverses a standing wave of ~= 16 ~m with a velocity of 100 m per second over a distance of 0.1 cm, synchronous vibration of the input mirror ~S and the mirror SP5 with a frequency of 100 kHz and an amplitude of ~/4 = 4 ~m is sufficient. It is possible to leave out the input and output mirror, but then the mirrors SP1 and SP5 must vibrate synchronously, In the two examples mentioned, the direction of the gas jet of the substances to be separated is essentially parallel to the nodal planes of the standing wave. The nodal planes are ~hose imagined planes which extend per-pendicularly to the direction of propagation of the laser beam through the nodal points of the same. If the gas jet now enters at an angle to these planes, but at the same time perpendicularly to the direction of polarization ~47~7~
into the laser beam and through the l~tter, it can thereby be achieved also that every gas molecule passes at least once through th0 field strength ~ones from zero to maximum, depending on the incidence angle. Without the measures taken in the examples l and 2 and with the gas jet parallel to the nodal planes, no deflection of the particles occurs at the latter and maximum de-flection at the antinodes. The de Mection of all gas molecules or atoms be-comeS more uniform with oblique incidenCe. In addition, the dwelling time is increased with increasing angle of incidence, which results in a correspond_ ingly greater deflection. The effective frequency w~.ich acts here on the molecules, differs slightly from the laser frequency. The difference between the two increases with increasing angle of incidence and increasing velocity of the molecules. The laser frequency itself can then also be ch~nged by this amount, which is practically equivalent to the possibility of tuning the required frequencies.
In Figures 6 and 7, such a case ls depicted schematicallyO The resonance system consists again of the laser L and the mirror SP6 The gas jet Ml plus M2 traverses the laser beam at a low q le. The elect~iO vector of the linearly polarized wave of the laser beam is here normal to the plane defined by the optical axis and the incident gas jet. The deflection is then in or aginst the direction of the electric field. Thus, the dwelling time - 20 of the particles ~o be separated in the standing wave and, therefore, the effect, is considerably greater than in the case of incidence perpendicular to the optical axis. However, the useful gas jet cross section is diminished as compared to the first-named examples.
The variants of the method shown schematically in Figures l to 7 relate to the correlation of laser beams and the mixtures of the substances to be separated. Apparatus for implementing these variants of the method is shown in Figure 8 where, however, the laser arrangement proper with the mirror systems etc is left out. In this figure, only the treatment vessel for carrying out the separating process proper is shown~ Through design 7~72 measures regarding the direction of the gas jet, i.e., the mixture of subst-ances, such as isotopes, Ml + M2, a substantial increase in the separation rate is achieved here. The laser beam shown in this arrangement can thus consist of ~wo standing waves displaced relative to each o~her by ~/4; the laser beam can oscillate back and forth in the axial direc~ion; and the gas jets from the orifice may traverse the laser beam also at an angle In all caseS~ the direction of polarization and there~o~e, also the direction of the electric field are perpendicular to the direction of the gas Mow.
The treatment chamber consists of a gas_ti~ht housing G, which is provided with a cooling jacket K for adjusting the temperature. It is further-more connected to a vacuum pump (not shcwn). It is also equipped with a supply ressel V for the mixture of substances to be separated, which enters in gaseous form through the slit orifice D into the treatment chamber The emerging gas jet i9 decompressed in ~ront of the orifice, expanding greatly, until the mean free path has become so long that the gas molecules continue to fly with the velocity prevailing at this point, practically ~ithout collis_ ion and in a straight line~ A grid or array of slits BL0 is arranged here, whose slits are parallel to the slit of the orifice Do This slit grid is the origin of a multiplicity of source jetslpassing thrsugh the laser beam S.
The bundles of gas jets which emerge from the slit grid BL0 and are still relatively strongly divergent are then resolved by the second slit grid BLl, after traversing the laser beam S, into a large number of partly crossing sub-jets, each of less divergence. These molecules then fly, if they do not belong to the deflected kind, through the openings of a diaphragm BL2, which is erected at a fairly large distance, say, lm, from the slit grid BLl. It is located, furt~ermore, just in front of the rear wall of the housing G. The correlation in space between the slit grids BL0 and BLl as wcll as the dia_ phragm BL2 is arranged so that the sub_jets starting from the source slits in the slit grid BL0, which are not deflected, go through slits of the grids BLl, BL2. This geometT~ correlation is shown for two slits of the slit grid aLO
1~7~L7Z
in Figure 9. From this may be seen that the source slits as well as the slits of the slit grids BLl and BL2 always lie on a straight or almost straight line The practical effect of this correlation of the different slit grids is now that particles not deflected by the laser beams go through the slit grid BL2 and are collected at the rear wall of the housing G. Deflected particles, on the other hand, will no longer hit the slits of the grid BL2 and are held back by the crossbars of the same They are then condensed at the walls of the chamber between the slit grid BLl and the diaphragm BL2 In order to prevent the slits from getting clogged by condensed substance~
the grid is kept at so high a temperature that no condensation takes place there. As the field gradient is relatively small in the central zone of the laser beam, no dipoles suitable for the deflection of the particles will form there; separation will therefore not take place For this reason, the central zone of the slit grid BL2 is open, as shown in Figure 8; at the rear wall of the housing G, part of the mixture of the substance collects in this zone in unsegregated condition. This means, if the separation of uran-ium isotopes, for example, is in~olved here, that the na*ural uranium isotope mixture is present in this region. Outside of these zones, the practic~lly uninfluenced uranium isotopes U 238 are precipitated~ Depending on the starting material, these isotopes may precipitate in metallic form or also in the form of a compound~ such as, for instance, uranium hexafluoride, and obtained in this manner in separated form.
The molecules held back by the grids BLO and BLl also are not sep-arated For this reason, these quantities of the substances are collected separately The gas pressure in the space bekween the orifice and the grid Bl is kept, either by pu~ping off or condensing the substance to be sep2rated, at so low a value that the interference background of not separated substance in the space bet~qen the grids BLl and BL2 caused thereby, remains small.
Extraneous gases that occur can be removed by a vacuum pump preceded by a cooling trap ~47~7~
Another possibility for implementing this new separating method is shown in Figure 10. Here~ the resonance system again consists of the laser L and the mirror SP7 as well as a focusing lens LF. The mirror and the focusing lens are provided with a central hole, through which the gas jet can pass. In this example, the jet, Ml ~ 2, enters via a diaphragm-like hole in the mirror SP7 into the treatment chamber and thus traverses the laser beam in the axial direction. However, onl~ the cross section of the laser beam itself can be utilized here for the separation. In this case~ the frequency of the standing wave is chosen so that onl~ the molecules of the atom type M2 are deflected strongly, while those of the other type, Ml, are deflected only little. This means in the example that the little-i.nfluenced particles Ml can enter through a small opening in the lens ~ into the plenum Rl, while the strongly deflected particles M2 remain in the plenum R2. The particle~ can then be exhausted from these chambers separately or be condensed on their walls. me optical components such as mirrors, lenses and laser exit wind~ws are protected against vapor deposition by suitably high temperatures, if the vapor pressure of the substances is not too high If temperatures would have to be used for this purpose at which these components would be damaged, than a plate RP which is transparent for the laser radiation and on ~hich~the particles condense~ can be arranged in front of the lens in the plenum Rl, for instance, for analytical purposes. The plate can be removable, in order to bring the vapor-deposited parts out of the radiation space. The enclosure of the treatment chamber shown here i9~ of course, also necessary in the previously mentioned examples; it was left out in this case onl~ for the sake of clarity.
A further possi~ility of separating isotopes by means of the electric field of a standing polarized wave is shown in Figures 11 and 12 A Here, a polarized standing wave of rectangular cross section is generated in the laser and the polarizing device P, the electric vector being parallel to the plane of the paper in the view of Figure 11 and perpendicular to the 7~7~2 plane of the paper and to the optical axis in the view of Figure 12. By optiCal means known per se, e.g , cylinder lenses and cylindrical mirrors, the height of the wa~e is greatly constricted at inter~als, as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 11. The gas to be separated, i.e., the mixture Ml -~ M2, is fed to the standing wave in a region with a large .ross section and is then conducted through a wall Wl fitted to the shape of the wave. In the region of the narro~ point of the wave, the electric field and its gradient reach such magnitudes in the direction of polarization that particles which oscill-ate with little phase shift relative to the standing wave, are transported into the region abQut the center plane, while particles with a phase shift near 180 are urged out of the beam Behind the separation zone, the gas stream is widened by flaring out the guide walls Wl. The core of the gas jet, in which the particle type M2 is enriched, enters the interior of a suitable shaped peeling section W2 projecting into the widened space, where~
by the upper and lower edge zone, in which the particle type Ml is enriched, is peeled of~, On the narrow sides of the gas jet, the separation effect is small, as there the electric field and its gradient are small. Therefore, these parts of the gas s*ream, which can be enriched only little, are collect_ ; ed separately. Figure 12, which shows a horizontal cross section through the apparatus according to Figure 11, shows these relations. It can also be seen here that the focusing lenses FL are designed as cylinder lenses. As depicted in these two ~igures, such separating arrangements can also be placed in tandem, but they can also be connected in cascade to steadily increase the degree of enrichment with the one isotope This apparatus, shown in Figures 11 and 12, may however also be designated with rotational symmetry if one provides that the direction o~
polarization rotates with a rotation period which is small as compared to the transit time of the wave in the resona~or, but large as compared to ~he transit time o~ the gas molecules or atoms in the deflection zone. In this manner, the same force is exerted on the particles in all directions perpend_ _ 10 --~6~47~1L72 icularly to the optical axis, averaged in time. In this case, the separation point can also be relocated there, if the field strength is sufficiently large, by leaving out the guide wall in the narrowest region of the standing wave, so that the particle type Ml can e~it here radially.
The phase shift of 90 between the electric and the magnetic field, which is present in the case of the standing wave, has the effect that forces of the same direction occur at one point~ over all ~imes~ only if the phase shift between the electric field and the induced dipole moment deviates from 90 In space, their d~rection reverses at intervals of ~/4.
}O Figures 13 to 17 show an app~ratus for utilizing the magneticseparating effect. If the frequency of the standing wave is chosen so that it coincides with the resonance frequenc~ of one partiCle type~ then these particles are urged toward the node planes K. If the gas stream passes through the standing wave parallel to the node planes, this particle type wi~l be enriched in the region of the nodal plane and can then be suctioned off when leaving the laser beam~by a special collector s~stem, separated from tho~e partial gas streams from the antinodes of the wave. Figure 13 shows a longitudinal section and Figure 14, a cross section thraugh such an apparatus;
Figure 15 shows detail Z from Figure 13, while Figure 16 represents a hor_ izontal cross section through the collector systemO The standing wRve S
traverses, according to Figure 13, the treatment chamber, which is evaCuated of foreign matter, as in the previous examples. The pressure of the mixture of the substances Ml + M2 to be separated at the condensa~ion temperature, can be adjusted, for instance, via the temperature ahead of the orifice, to the desired value. The mixture of the substances then ~lows through a narrow canal from the top through the standing wave S and arrives a~ a coIlecting system A. There, the segregated particle streams Ml and M2 are exhausted laterally, as shown by Figure 1~, and in addi*ion, measures are taken to suction-off that part of the mixture of substances that goes past the collect_ ing device. Figure 15 shows schematicall~ the arriving particle stream Ml +
_ 11 --7~7Z
M2, below it individual nodal planes of the standin~ wave KF and again below them, the chambers of the collecting system. Under each nodal plane there is arranged a coIlecting chamber and under each antinode, another collecting chamber, whose outlets open towards different sides, as shown by Figure 16 These different sides end in the plenums SRl and SR2, cf. Figure 1~, and are exhausted from there. Such a finely subdivided, thin_walled system of chambers as the collecting device A, in which each p~r of chambers has the dimension ~ 2 in the direction of the axis, can be made, for instance, as a stack of similar elements in a common mounting. The matching of this system of chambers requires great accurac~; it can be done, for instance, by an adjusting device E, see Figure 13. The individual elements are produced, for instance, by lining up the ca~ities or by evaporating the elevated areas, because of th~ir extraordinary fineness, With very short resonance wave lengths, the fabrication of such a collection system A according to Figures 15 and 16 can beCome difficult if not impossible~ In such cases~ but still with infrared radiation, it is possible to construct a system according to Figure 17 Here~ the gas enters from the top into the standing wave S through slits abDut ~/4 wide. If their nodal planes are located at the separating edges K of the chambers of the collecting system A~ the particles that are at resonance are then defleCted into the chamber I, while the others M ow nearly ~ninfluenCed into the chamber II They can be drawn off from there separated, as in the ex~mples according to Figures 13 to 16~ As there, the separation points can be apart by any desired multiple of ~/2, it is possible to construct the collecting system A
with larger chambers and wall thiCknesses. With this design, it would also be possible to readjust the distances of the individual chambers I and II
from each other and to thereby match them to the wave length of the laser beam or the spacing of the WAve nodes.
The improvements described herein as w~ll as the appara~us mentioned by way of example for implementing the same, are not only accompanied by an :1~947~7~
increased separation rate per unit time, but they also allow a considerably better utilization of the laser energy through the use of the resonance principle, Thus, there is a further inOrease in the efficiency over the known isotope separation methods such as are used E~articularly for the sep-aration of uranium isotopes.
According to this invention, the be~am of the polarized wave, by means of a resonator syste~, forms a standing wave which is traversed by a flow of the mixture of isotopes to be separated, and the standing wave is moved and/or the flow of the mixture of substances is directed so that relat_ ive motion takes place between the standing wave and the flow of the mixture of isotopes in such a manner that the isotopes are prevented fr~n dw~lling in the vicinity of the nodes of the standing ~ave while being traversed by the electromangetic wave, e.g , a laser beam. By thus increasing the effective energy density in the resonator system, a considerably bet~er utilization of the energy contained in the electromagnetic wave is achieved Further improvement c~n be obtained by dividing the standing polar_ ized wave, by means of a mirror system, into practically parallel wave trains which are displaced against each other in the direction of the beam by abOut one_quarter wave length. ThePeby, a more uniform deflection of the i~topes over the entire beam length is achieved. In addition, the cross section of the electromagnetic radiation is also increased, which is equi~alent to lengthening the mean dwelling time of the isotopes to be influenced within the electromagnetic field of beam.
With regard to the physical relations which come to bear for this separating method, it is i~portant~ if the separation is effected by deflection of the isotopes by the electric field, th~t the strength of the electric field, referred to the cross section of khe beam~ does not have the same value everywhere but exhibits a gradient in or against the direction of the field. The two poles of the molecular dipole of the mixturets components, are thereby exposed to different field strengths, ~o that an electric force acts on every molecular dipole. The vibration amp]itudes of the molecular dipole are here a maximum if the exciting frequency of the electromagnetic oscillation corresponds to the resonance frequency. However, there is a phase differ~nce between the exciting a-c field and the vibration of the molecule, which approaches 180 with increasing frequency if the frequency of the exciting field is slightly higher than the resonance frequency of the molecule involved. With decreasing frequency, this phase difference approach_ e9 the value zero, if the frequency of the exciting field is lower than the resonance frequency of the mole~ule.
In the mixture of matter to be separated, it is to be understood that at least two kinds of molecules with somewhat different resonance frequencies are involved. If the exciting frequency lies here between these two resonance frequencies, the one molecule vibrates nearly in phase and the other, nearly in phase opposite to the exciting field, which means that the two kinds of molecules are deflected in an inhomogeneous field in opposite directions permitting their segregation from each other.
According to the present invention, the beam of the polarized wave is form0d by means of the resonator system, a technique known per se, and a standing wave is traversed by the flow of the gaseous mixture of isotopes to be separated. In a standing wave, however, there are wave nodes at which the field strength and therefore, the separating effect, is ~ero However, this disadvantage of the standing wa~e is compensated b~ the provi~ion that between the standing wave and the ~low of the mixture of isotopes, such a relative motion takes place that the isotopes are prevented from dweI~ing in the 3~ vicinity of the wave nodes while traY~rsing the electromagnetic waves. In ~4717Z
this manner, the advantage of the standing wave, such as its higher energy density, is practically completely preserved without the occurrence of ineffective regions.
Thus, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for physically separating gaseous mixture of matter or isotopes in which at least one beam of a polarized electromagnetic wave is directed through such a mixture of matter or isotopes and the frequenc~ of the electromagnetic wave is adjusted in such a manner that the dipole behavior of the individual components of this mixture is influencecl select-ively and differently and the components are segregated by the electric and/or magnetic field of the beam; wherein the improvement is that the beam of the polarized wave-form, by means of a resonator system, is formed as a standing wave having nodes which is traversed by the flow of the mixture of substances to be separated and the standing wave is moved and/or the flow of the mixture of substances is directed in such a manner that a relative motion takes place between the standing wave and the flow of the mixture of substances, so that the particles of the substance are prevented from dwelling in the vicinity of the wave nodes during the passage of the electromagnetic wave, e.g~, a laser beam.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a separator for separating a gaseous mixture of molecules, comprising a supply vessel for the mixture to be separated and which is provided with a slit orifice, a separation chamber to which the slit orifice is connected, and which is adjustable as to vaccuum and cooling; a slit grid arranged in front of the slit orifice with a multiplicity of slits parallel to the slit orifice for dividing a jet of the mixture of substances from the slit orifice into a multiplicity of individual jets; means for forming an electromagnetic wave beam of required wave length which is arranged to form polarized standing waves traversing the multiplicity of jets of the mixture of substances in ~ -3-1~47~7Z
front of the slit grid in their entire width; a further slit grid, a partition for the separation chamber in which the further slit grid is arranged, a grid with many slits, the chamber having a collecting wall in front of which the grid with the many slits is arranged, all slits of all of the s-Lit grids being placed so that they lie on straight connecting lines.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for separating a gaseous mixture of molecules having differing resonances; comprising forming a polari3ed standing electromagnetic wave beam having nodes and a frequency causing deflection of the molecules in different directions relative to each other, and flowing the mixture through the beam while preventing the molecules from dwelling at the beam's nodes, so that the molecules are separated by deflection in different directions relative to each other.
The separation of isotopes is of considerab:Le importance today.
However, other substances are also capable of being excited by a polarized electromagnetic wave and can be segregated or separated from each other by the forces of the wave or laser beam and can be considered to be equivalents of isotopes.
The accompanying drawings schematically illustrate the principles of the present invention, the various figures being as follows:
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of an apparatus for separating gaseous mixtures of isotopes, for example;
Figure 2 is a cross section of the apparatus;
Figure 3 graphically shows the field strength of the electromagnetic wave;
Figure 4 is like Figure 1, but shows a second example;
Figure 5 is a cross section of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is like Figure 1 but shows a third example of the apparatus;
Figure 7 is a cross section of Figure 6;
-3a-1~47~`7Z
Figure 8 is a longitudinal section showing the details required for a complete apparatus using the principles illustrated by the preceding figures;
Figure 9 shows the pattern of the jets of the gaseous mixtures of isotopes, invol~ed by the example shown by Figure 8;
Figure lO in longitudinal section shows still another examp].e;
Fugure ll in longitudinal section provides another example;
Figure 12 is a cross section of the apparatus shown by Figure ll;
Figure 13 shows in longitudinal section an apparatus operating on a different principle of segregation or separation than that of the other example~;
Figure l~ is a cross section taken on the line XIV-XIV in Figure ~, -3b-~7~7~
13;
Figure 15 shows a detail of Figure 13;
Figure 16 shows still another detail; and Figure 17 shows a modified collection system.
The exc~mple shown in Figures 1 to 3 illustrates the principles of a separating apparatus, in which a gas jet of a gaseous mixture traverses successively tWG standing waves which are displaced relative to each other by 1/4 ~. The electromagnetic waves are linearly polarized in such a manner that the vector of the electric field is essentially perpendicular to the direct-ion of propagation of the gas jet, Due to the displacement in space of the two standing waves, a molecule which has tra~ersed the first beam at a node and has therefore not been e~posed to a de~lection impulse, hits ~l antinode in the second beam, Thus, the deflection becomes con~iderably more uniform, Figure 1 shows a longltudinal cross section through such an apparatus, The acti~e laser zone is designated with L; the laser beam emerges on both sides via the Brewster windows B and remains in a resonance system which consists essentiall~ of the mirrors SPl and SP3, Part of the laser beam is reflected via a beam divider ST toward the mirror SP2 and from there is thrown ag~in onto the mirror SP3. The latter also forms a resonance system and a standing wave S2 of its own. The latter, however, is displaced in the axial direction relative to the standing wa~e Sl by a step A in the mirror SP3, so ~hat the shape of the field strength ~hown in Figure 3 results in the z-direction (optical axis), The height of the step of the mirror SP3 must therefore be about~ /4 or ~n ~ /4), In order to avoid the losses at the beam divider ST of the backward w~ve, these components are re~lected back by the mirror SP4 with the correct phase. The necessary fine adjustment o~ the mirrors and the radiators of the beams divider is carried out in a manner kno~n per se~
e,g" by means of piezo-ceramic devices, The gas je~, which consists o~ a mixture of the two substances Ml and M2 to be separa~ed, first goes through the orifice D, then ~hrough a ~471 72 diaphragm BL and is thereupon deflected in the laser beam selectivel~ in accordance with the resonances of the components Ml and M2, so that they can be separately collected in the collector A. Figure 2 shows a cross section through the apparatus of Figure 1 In Figure 4, a further example of implementing the principles of the invention is shown. Here, the laser beam coming from the laser zone L
is introduced into the resonator via the output mirror AS The resonator consistS of the input mirror ~S and the mirror SP5. The input mirror ~S and the mirror SP5 are connected here with motion mechc~nisms Pl and P2, for instance, of an electrical type~ which permit the resonator and therefore, the standing wave, to oscillate in the axial direction. The gas jet comes from an orifice, as in the previous example, and the separated co~ponents are collected separately in the collector A Figure 5 shows a cross section of the apparatus shown in Figure 4 The velocity generated by the motion mechanisms Pl and P2, which is superimposed on the standing wave, is here chosen so that particles of the gas jet are subjected everywhere to about the same deflection after passing through the wave, but that is not so large, on the other hand, that the Doppler effect and the fre~uency shift accompanying it becomes excessive as ~ar as the separating effect is concerned.
For instance, if the gas jet traverses a standing wave of ~= 16 ~m with a velocity of 100 m per second over a distance of 0.1 cm, synchronous vibration of the input mirror ~S and the mirror SP5 with a frequency of 100 kHz and an amplitude of ~/4 = 4 ~m is sufficient. It is possible to leave out the input and output mirror, but then the mirrors SP1 and SP5 must vibrate synchronously, In the two examples mentioned, the direction of the gas jet of the substances to be separated is essentially parallel to the nodal planes of the standing wave. The nodal planes are ~hose imagined planes which extend per-pendicularly to the direction of propagation of the laser beam through the nodal points of the same. If the gas jet now enters at an angle to these planes, but at the same time perpendicularly to the direction of polarization ~47~7~
into the laser beam and through the l~tter, it can thereby be achieved also that every gas molecule passes at least once through th0 field strength ~ones from zero to maximum, depending on the incidence angle. Without the measures taken in the examples l and 2 and with the gas jet parallel to the nodal planes, no deflection of the particles occurs at the latter and maximum de-flection at the antinodes. The de Mection of all gas molecules or atoms be-comeS more uniform with oblique incidenCe. In addition, the dwelling time is increased with increasing angle of incidence, which results in a correspond_ ingly greater deflection. The effective frequency w~.ich acts here on the molecules, differs slightly from the laser frequency. The difference between the two increases with increasing angle of incidence and increasing velocity of the molecules. The laser frequency itself can then also be ch~nged by this amount, which is practically equivalent to the possibility of tuning the required frequencies.
In Figures 6 and 7, such a case ls depicted schematicallyO The resonance system consists again of the laser L and the mirror SP6 The gas jet Ml plus M2 traverses the laser beam at a low q le. The elect~iO vector of the linearly polarized wave of the laser beam is here normal to the plane defined by the optical axis and the incident gas jet. The deflection is then in or aginst the direction of the electric field. Thus, the dwelling time - 20 of the particles ~o be separated in the standing wave and, therefore, the effect, is considerably greater than in the case of incidence perpendicular to the optical axis. However, the useful gas jet cross section is diminished as compared to the first-named examples.
The variants of the method shown schematically in Figures l to 7 relate to the correlation of laser beams and the mixtures of the substances to be separated. Apparatus for implementing these variants of the method is shown in Figure 8 where, however, the laser arrangement proper with the mirror systems etc is left out. In this figure, only the treatment vessel for carrying out the separating process proper is shown~ Through design 7~72 measures regarding the direction of the gas jet, i.e., the mixture of subst-ances, such as isotopes, Ml + M2, a substantial increase in the separation rate is achieved here. The laser beam shown in this arrangement can thus consist of ~wo standing waves displaced relative to each o~her by ~/4; the laser beam can oscillate back and forth in the axial direc~ion; and the gas jets from the orifice may traverse the laser beam also at an angle In all caseS~ the direction of polarization and there~o~e, also the direction of the electric field are perpendicular to the direction of the gas Mow.
The treatment chamber consists of a gas_ti~ht housing G, which is provided with a cooling jacket K for adjusting the temperature. It is further-more connected to a vacuum pump (not shcwn). It is also equipped with a supply ressel V for the mixture of substances to be separated, which enters in gaseous form through the slit orifice D into the treatment chamber The emerging gas jet i9 decompressed in ~ront of the orifice, expanding greatly, until the mean free path has become so long that the gas molecules continue to fly with the velocity prevailing at this point, practically ~ithout collis_ ion and in a straight line~ A grid or array of slits BL0 is arranged here, whose slits are parallel to the slit of the orifice Do This slit grid is the origin of a multiplicity of source jetslpassing thrsugh the laser beam S.
The bundles of gas jets which emerge from the slit grid BL0 and are still relatively strongly divergent are then resolved by the second slit grid BLl, after traversing the laser beam S, into a large number of partly crossing sub-jets, each of less divergence. These molecules then fly, if they do not belong to the deflected kind, through the openings of a diaphragm BL2, which is erected at a fairly large distance, say, lm, from the slit grid BLl. It is located, furt~ermore, just in front of the rear wall of the housing G. The correlation in space between the slit grids BL0 and BLl as wcll as the dia_ phragm BL2 is arranged so that the sub_jets starting from the source slits in the slit grid BL0, which are not deflected, go through slits of the grids BLl, BL2. This geometT~ correlation is shown for two slits of the slit grid aLO
1~7~L7Z
in Figure 9. From this may be seen that the source slits as well as the slits of the slit grids BLl and BL2 always lie on a straight or almost straight line The practical effect of this correlation of the different slit grids is now that particles not deflected by the laser beams go through the slit grid BL2 and are collected at the rear wall of the housing G. Deflected particles, on the other hand, will no longer hit the slits of the grid BL2 and are held back by the crossbars of the same They are then condensed at the walls of the chamber between the slit grid BLl and the diaphragm BL2 In order to prevent the slits from getting clogged by condensed substance~
the grid is kept at so high a temperature that no condensation takes place there. As the field gradient is relatively small in the central zone of the laser beam, no dipoles suitable for the deflection of the particles will form there; separation will therefore not take place For this reason, the central zone of the slit grid BL2 is open, as shown in Figure 8; at the rear wall of the housing G, part of the mixture of the substance collects in this zone in unsegregated condition. This means, if the separation of uran-ium isotopes, for example, is in~olved here, that the na*ural uranium isotope mixture is present in this region. Outside of these zones, the practic~lly uninfluenced uranium isotopes U 238 are precipitated~ Depending on the starting material, these isotopes may precipitate in metallic form or also in the form of a compound~ such as, for instance, uranium hexafluoride, and obtained in this manner in separated form.
The molecules held back by the grids BLO and BLl also are not sep-arated For this reason, these quantities of the substances are collected separately The gas pressure in the space bekween the orifice and the grid Bl is kept, either by pu~ping off or condensing the substance to be sep2rated, at so low a value that the interference background of not separated substance in the space bet~qen the grids BLl and BL2 caused thereby, remains small.
Extraneous gases that occur can be removed by a vacuum pump preceded by a cooling trap ~47~7~
Another possibility for implementing this new separating method is shown in Figure 10. Here~ the resonance system again consists of the laser L and the mirror SP7 as well as a focusing lens LF. The mirror and the focusing lens are provided with a central hole, through which the gas jet can pass. In this example, the jet, Ml ~ 2, enters via a diaphragm-like hole in the mirror SP7 into the treatment chamber and thus traverses the laser beam in the axial direction. However, onl~ the cross section of the laser beam itself can be utilized here for the separation. In this case~ the frequency of the standing wave is chosen so that onl~ the molecules of the atom type M2 are deflected strongly, while those of the other type, Ml, are deflected only little. This means in the example that the little-i.nfluenced particles Ml can enter through a small opening in the lens ~ into the plenum Rl, while the strongly deflected particles M2 remain in the plenum R2. The particle~ can then be exhausted from these chambers separately or be condensed on their walls. me optical components such as mirrors, lenses and laser exit wind~ws are protected against vapor deposition by suitably high temperatures, if the vapor pressure of the substances is not too high If temperatures would have to be used for this purpose at which these components would be damaged, than a plate RP which is transparent for the laser radiation and on ~hich~the particles condense~ can be arranged in front of the lens in the plenum Rl, for instance, for analytical purposes. The plate can be removable, in order to bring the vapor-deposited parts out of the radiation space. The enclosure of the treatment chamber shown here i9~ of course, also necessary in the previously mentioned examples; it was left out in this case onl~ for the sake of clarity.
A further possi~ility of separating isotopes by means of the electric field of a standing polarized wave is shown in Figures 11 and 12 A Here, a polarized standing wave of rectangular cross section is generated in the laser and the polarizing device P, the electric vector being parallel to the plane of the paper in the view of Figure 11 and perpendicular to the 7~7~2 plane of the paper and to the optical axis in the view of Figure 12. By optiCal means known per se, e.g , cylinder lenses and cylindrical mirrors, the height of the wa~e is greatly constricted at inter~als, as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 11. The gas to be separated, i.e., the mixture Ml -~ M2, is fed to the standing wave in a region with a large .ross section and is then conducted through a wall Wl fitted to the shape of the wave. In the region of the narro~ point of the wave, the electric field and its gradient reach such magnitudes in the direction of polarization that particles which oscill-ate with little phase shift relative to the standing wave, are transported into the region abQut the center plane, while particles with a phase shift near 180 are urged out of the beam Behind the separation zone, the gas stream is widened by flaring out the guide walls Wl. The core of the gas jet, in which the particle type M2 is enriched, enters the interior of a suitable shaped peeling section W2 projecting into the widened space, where~
by the upper and lower edge zone, in which the particle type Ml is enriched, is peeled of~, On the narrow sides of the gas jet, the separation effect is small, as there the electric field and its gradient are small. Therefore, these parts of the gas s*ream, which can be enriched only little, are collect_ ; ed separately. Figure 12, which shows a horizontal cross section through the apparatus according to Figure 11, shows these relations. It can also be seen here that the focusing lenses FL are designed as cylinder lenses. As depicted in these two ~igures, such separating arrangements can also be placed in tandem, but they can also be connected in cascade to steadily increase the degree of enrichment with the one isotope This apparatus, shown in Figures 11 and 12, may however also be designated with rotational symmetry if one provides that the direction o~
polarization rotates with a rotation period which is small as compared to the transit time of the wave in the resona~or, but large as compared to ~he transit time o~ the gas molecules or atoms in the deflection zone. In this manner, the same force is exerted on the particles in all directions perpend_ _ 10 --~6~47~1L72 icularly to the optical axis, averaged in time. In this case, the separation point can also be relocated there, if the field strength is sufficiently large, by leaving out the guide wall in the narrowest region of the standing wave, so that the particle type Ml can e~it here radially.
The phase shift of 90 between the electric and the magnetic field, which is present in the case of the standing wave, has the effect that forces of the same direction occur at one point~ over all ~imes~ only if the phase shift between the electric field and the induced dipole moment deviates from 90 In space, their d~rection reverses at intervals of ~/4.
}O Figures 13 to 17 show an app~ratus for utilizing the magneticseparating effect. If the frequency of the standing wave is chosen so that it coincides with the resonance frequenc~ of one partiCle type~ then these particles are urged toward the node planes K. If the gas stream passes through the standing wave parallel to the node planes, this particle type wi~l be enriched in the region of the nodal plane and can then be suctioned off when leaving the laser beam~by a special collector s~stem, separated from tho~e partial gas streams from the antinodes of the wave. Figure 13 shows a longitudinal section and Figure 14, a cross section thraugh such an apparatus;
Figure 15 shows detail Z from Figure 13, while Figure 16 represents a hor_ izontal cross section through the collector systemO The standing wRve S
traverses, according to Figure 13, the treatment chamber, which is evaCuated of foreign matter, as in the previous examples. The pressure of the mixture of the substances Ml + M2 to be separated at the condensa~ion temperature, can be adjusted, for instance, via the temperature ahead of the orifice, to the desired value. The mixture of the substances then ~lows through a narrow canal from the top through the standing wave S and arrives a~ a coIlecting system A. There, the segregated particle streams Ml and M2 are exhausted laterally, as shown by Figure 1~, and in addi*ion, measures are taken to suction-off that part of the mixture of substances that goes past the collect_ ing device. Figure 15 shows schematicall~ the arriving particle stream Ml +
_ 11 --7~7Z
M2, below it individual nodal planes of the standin~ wave KF and again below them, the chambers of the collecting system. Under each nodal plane there is arranged a coIlecting chamber and under each antinode, another collecting chamber, whose outlets open towards different sides, as shown by Figure 16 These different sides end in the plenums SRl and SR2, cf. Figure 1~, and are exhausted from there. Such a finely subdivided, thin_walled system of chambers as the collecting device A, in which each p~r of chambers has the dimension ~ 2 in the direction of the axis, can be made, for instance, as a stack of similar elements in a common mounting. The matching of this system of chambers requires great accurac~; it can be done, for instance, by an adjusting device E, see Figure 13. The individual elements are produced, for instance, by lining up the ca~ities or by evaporating the elevated areas, because of th~ir extraordinary fineness, With very short resonance wave lengths, the fabrication of such a collection system A according to Figures 15 and 16 can beCome difficult if not impossible~ In such cases~ but still with infrared radiation, it is possible to construct a system according to Figure 17 Here~ the gas enters from the top into the standing wave S through slits abDut ~/4 wide. If their nodal planes are located at the separating edges K of the chambers of the collecting system A~ the particles that are at resonance are then defleCted into the chamber I, while the others M ow nearly ~ninfluenCed into the chamber II They can be drawn off from there separated, as in the ex~mples according to Figures 13 to 16~ As there, the separation points can be apart by any desired multiple of ~/2, it is possible to construct the collecting system A
with larger chambers and wall thiCknesses. With this design, it would also be possible to readjust the distances of the individual chambers I and II
from each other and to thereby match them to the wave length of the laser beam or the spacing of the WAve nodes.
The improvements described herein as w~ll as the appara~us mentioned by way of example for implementing the same, are not only accompanied by an :1~947~7~
increased separation rate per unit time, but they also allow a considerably better utilization of the laser energy through the use of the resonance principle, Thus, there is a further inOrease in the efficiency over the known isotope separation methods such as are used E~articularly for the sep-aration of uranium isotopes.
Claims (10)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Method for physically separating gaseous mixture of matter or iso-topes in which at least one beam of a polarized electromagnetic wave is directed through such a mixture of matter or isotopes and the frequency of the electromagnetic wave is adjusted in such a manner that the dipole behavior of the individual components of this mixture is influenced selectively and differently and the components are segregated by the electric and/or magnetic field of the beam; wherein the improvement is that the beam of the polarized wave-form, by means of a resonator system, is formed as a standing wave having nodes which is traversed by the flow of the mixture of substances to be separated and the standing wave is moved and/or the flow of the mixture of substances is directed in such a manner that a relative motion takes place between the standing wave and the flow of the mixture of substances, so that the particles of the substance are prevented from dwelling in the vicinity of the wave nodes during the passage of the electromagnetic wave, e.g., a laser beam.
2. Method according to claim 1 in which the polarized standing wave is divided by a system of mirrors into two practically parallel wave trains which are displaced relative to each other in the direction of the optical axis by about one-quarter of a wave length.
3. Method according to claim 1 in which the standing wave is traversed by the flow of the mixture of substances at an angle in such a manner that the substance particles are influenced successively by different amplitude regions of the standing wave.
4. A separator for separating a gaseous mixture of molecules, compris-ing a supply vessel for the mixture to be separated and which is provided with a slit orifice, a separation chamber to which the slit orifice is connected, and which is adjustable as to vacuum and cooling; a slit grid arranged in front of the slit orifice with a multiplicity of slits parallel to the slit orifice for dividing a jet of the mixture of substances from the slit orifice into a multiplicity of individual jets; means for forming an electromagnetic wave beam of required wave length which is arranged to form polarized stand-ing waves traversing the multiplicity of jets of the mixture of substances in front of the slit grid in their entire width; a further slit grid, a partition for the separation chamber in which the further slit grid is arranged, a grid with many slits, the chamber having a collecting wall in front of which the grid with the many slits is arranged, all slits of all of the slit grids being placed so that they lie on straight connecting lines.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which a laser device is built on the separator chamber and the chamber has means by which is kept at appropriate temperatures and pressure; means being provided so that the mixture of sub-stances is fed-in in the optical axis of the system and the chamber is partitioned off by an optically transparent diaphragm or lens for holding back the particles deflected by the electric field; and sub-chambers are provided for collection of the components of the mixture of substances.
6. A method for separating a gaseous mixture of molecules having differing resonances; comprising forming a polarized standing electromagnetic wave beam having nodes and a frequency causing deflection of the molecules in different directions relative to each other, and flowing the mixture through the beam while preventing the molecules from dwelling at the beam's nodes, so that the molecules are separated by deflection in different direct-ions relative to each other.
7. The method of claim 6 in which the molecules are prevented from dwelling at the beam's nodes, by causing relative motion between the beam and molecules.
8. The method of claim 6 in which the molecules are prevented from dwelling at the beam's nodes, by adjustment of the angularity between the flow and the beam.
9. The method of claim 6 in which the beam is divided by reflection into two substantially parallel wave trains which are displaced in phase by about one quarter of their wave length.
10. A separator for a gaseous mixture of differing molecules having differing resonances; comprising a chamber having opposite ends, means at one end for injecting the mixture into the chamber in the form of a bundle of flat flow layers diverging from each other from an apex and directed towards the other end, means for passing a polarized standing electromagnetic wave beam having nodes, width-wise through the bundle and adjacent to its apex while preventing the molecules from dwelling at the beam's nodes, the beam having a frequency causing the differing molecules to deflect trans-versely of the layers and in opposite directions relative to each other so that two bundles of transversely relatively displaced flow layers are formed, and means at the chamber's other end for screening the two layers, one from the other, to separate the molecules.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE2430315A DE2430315A1 (en) | 1974-06-24 | 1974-06-24 | SEPARATION PROCESS |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1047172A true CA1047172A (en) | 1979-01-23 |
Family
ID=5918846
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA229,943A Expired CA1047172A (en) | 1974-06-24 | 1975-06-23 | Separation of mixtures of gaseous isotopes |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4025787A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU497754B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1047172A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2430315A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2276081A2 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1501965A (en) |
| ZA (1) | ZA753581B (en) |
Families Citing this family (13)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4286153A (en) * | 1975-08-19 | 1981-08-25 | Kraftwerk Union Aktiengesellschaft | Method and apparatus for the separation of isotope mixtures |
| IL48553A (en) * | 1975-11-27 | 1978-07-31 | Aviv Ami Rav | Method and apparatus for the separation of isotopes |
| US4167463A (en) * | 1978-04-12 | 1979-09-11 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Nitrogen fixation with a high energy laser |
| DE2923811C2 (en) * | 1979-06-12 | 1985-04-25 | Kraftwerk Union AG, 4330 Mülheim | Device for the separation of gaseous isotope mixtures |
| US4386274A (en) * | 1980-11-10 | 1983-05-31 | Saul Altshuler | Isotope separation by standing waves |
| US4411755A (en) * | 1980-11-28 | 1983-10-25 | Herman Irving P | Laser-assisted isotope separation of tritium |
| GB2189165A (en) * | 1986-04-16 | 1987-10-21 | James Ephraim Lovelock | Method and apparatus for purifying a continuous flow of helium and/or neon gas |
| US4886964A (en) * | 1988-09-16 | 1989-12-12 | Massachusetts Institute Of Technology | Matter wave optical systems in which an atomic beam intersects a diffraction grating at a grazing incidence |
| US5170890A (en) * | 1990-12-05 | 1992-12-15 | Wilson Steven D | Particle trap |
| US5752606A (en) * | 1996-05-23 | 1998-05-19 | Wilson; Steve D. | Method for trapping, manipulating, and separating cells and cellular components utilizing a particle trap |
| IL143538A0 (en) * | 2001-06-03 | 2002-04-21 | Yeda Res & Dev | Atomic lithography using squeezed atomic states |
| US6683277B1 (en) * | 2002-12-20 | 2004-01-27 | Osram Opto Semiconductors | Laser ablation nozzle assembly |
| WO2014078335A1 (en) * | 2012-11-13 | 2014-05-22 | Burst Energies, Inc. | Systems and methods for translating, levitating and/or treating objects in a resonating chamber |
Family Cites Families (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3532879A (en) * | 1966-12-12 | 1970-10-06 | Trw Inc | Methods and apparatus for deflecting atoms |
| US3558877A (en) * | 1966-12-19 | 1971-01-26 | Gca Corp | Method and apparatus for mass separation by selective light absorption |
| US3778612A (en) * | 1969-12-15 | 1973-12-11 | A Ashkin | Neutral particle beam separator and velocity analyzer using radiation pressure |
-
1974
- 1974-06-24 DE DE2430315A patent/DE2430315A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
1975
- 1975-05-28 GB GB23287/75A patent/GB1501965A/en not_active Expired
- 1975-06-03 ZA ZA00753581A patent/ZA753581B/en unknown
- 1975-06-05 AU AU81877/75A patent/AU497754B2/en not_active Expired
- 1975-06-19 US US05/588,183 patent/US4025787A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1975-06-23 CA CA229,943A patent/CA1047172A/en not_active Expired
- 1975-06-23 FR FR7519579A patent/FR2276081A2/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU497754B2 (en) | 1979-01-04 |
| DE2430315A1 (en) | 1976-01-08 |
| GB1501965A (en) | 1978-02-22 |
| FR2276081A2 (en) | 1976-01-23 |
| US4025787A (en) | 1977-05-24 |
| ZA753581B (en) | 1976-04-28 |
| AU8187775A (en) | 1976-12-09 |
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