SU-20
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SU-20 is an electromagnetic isotope separation facility Elektrokhimpribor Combine, in Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. It was operated from 1950 as part of the Soviet atomic bomb project.[1]
Its original purpose further enrich 75% highly enriched uranium from the D-1 diffusion plant at Mayak to a weapons-suitable 90%. It did this by separating uranium-235-tetrachloride from its uranium-238 counterpart via the slight mass and thus trajectory difference during ion acceleration. This role was similar to the calutrons used at the Y-12 complex of the Manhattan Project. Its design team was led by physicist Lev Artsimovich. This highly enriched uranium was used in the first Soviet test of a uranium weapon (RDS-3), its third test in October 1951.[2]
It exhibited poor performance, and in mid-1951 it was decided to reconstruct and repurpose it for light isotope separation.[2] It provided the lithium-6 required for the first two Soviet thermonuclear tests, RDS-6s in 1953 and presumably RDS-27 in 1955.[3] Following 1955, it was used for stable isotope separation, including strontium-88, thallium-203, and ytterbium-168.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Tatarinov, A.N.; Polyakov, L.A. (1997-10-01). "Russian ElectroKhimPribor integrated plant - producer and supplier of enriched stable isotopes". producer and supplier of enriched stable isotopes. pp. 230–236. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ a b "АТОМНАЯ ЭНЕРГИЯ, Т. 86, ВЫП. 6, ИЮНЬ". j-atomicenergy.ru. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ Khalatnikov, Isaak M; Fortov, Vladimir E; Makarov, Aleksandr A; Fridman, Aleksei M; Martynenko, Yurii V (2009-12-31). "Commemoration of the centenary of the birth of Academician L A Artsimovich (Scientific session of the Physical Sciences Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 18 February 2009; Joint session of the Research Council of the Russian Research Centre 'Kurchatov Institute', the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Rosatom State Corporation, 18 March 2009)". Physics-Uspekhi. 52 (12): 1247–1272. doi:10.3367/UFNe.0179.200912j.1335. ISSN 1063-7869. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
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