JNFL starts hot testing cascades

21 November 2007

Japan Nuclear Fuels Ltd (JNFL) reported on 12 November that it had started hot tests using uranium hexafluoride (UF6) on the cascade of its advanced centrifuge uranium enrichment system at Rokkasho. The amount of uranium used will gradually be increased. The tests are intended to confirm the operational characteristics and the separation performance in a cascade scale unit of a new design. JNFL said it intends to replace its existing centrifuge with the new design around 2010, bringing its uranium enrichment capacity up to 1.5 million SWU per year within about ten years. In order to develop higher performance centrifuges, JNFL has been carrying out various tests and assessments of new centrifuges since 2000.

Further information

JNFL

WNA's Nuclear Power in Japan information paper
WNA's Uranium Enrichment information paper

WNN: JNFL starts enrichment cascade test

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