Designing a Squared-Off Cascade for Separation of the 92Mo and 100Mo Isotopes to High Purity

The separation of the 92 Mo and 100 Mo isotopes from the natural composition to the 99.99% enrichment level in a three-section squared-off cascade with 200 centrifuges was investigated. The parameters of this cascade were optimized using the 3SQC–PSO and 3SQC–GOA codes and the PSO and GO algorithms. The objective function of the indicated optimization codes is to simultaneously maximize the cascade capacity, the recovery factor, and the D-function. The results obtained show that the separation of the 92 Mo and 100 Mo isotopes should be done in two and one separation steps, respectively. A single cascade of most suitable configuration for the separation of both the 92 Mo and 100 Mo isotopes is proposed. The recovery separations of the 92 Mo and 100 Mo isotopes in this cascade comprise 92 and 95%, respectively.