Rosatom’s fuel division, TVEL, has manufactured a pilot batch of tenth generation gas centrifuges (GC-10) to separate uranium isotopes for enrichment. In terms of its technical characteristics, the new machine surpasses all previous centrifuges used at Rosatom enterprises.
The GC-10 centrifuges will undergo pilot operation at one of the enterprises of TVEL’s separation and sublimation complex. Tests in the uranium enrichment workshop will be the final stage of development, which precedes the introduction of GC-10s into mass production.
The birthplace of industrial gas centrifuge technology was the USSR, and the father of the gas centrifuge is considered to be Viktor Sergeev, a design engineer at the Special Design Bureau of the Leningrad Kirov Plant (the modern successor which is the St Petersburg Centrotech-Engineering). Subsequently gas centrifuge technology came to be used by all world producers of enriched uranium.
“We are currently continuing the programme to modernise our enrichment facilities with the phased replacement of old-generation centrifuges with the modern and highly efficient GC-9+ machines that will operate for decades,” said Alexander Ugryumov, TVEL Senior Vice President for scientific and technical activities. “GC-10 is another step forward, which in the future will help make our separation enterprises even more modern and efficient. This will contribute to the successful implementation of our production programme, including the provision of nuclear fuel for new power units in Russia and abroad.”
