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This explains Iran's possible use of centrifuge technology for producing enriched uranium...

Iran Using Centrifuges To Produce Weapons-Grade Uranium

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has recently issued several warning statements indicating that Iran has successfully deployed 3000 high-speed centrifuges which can be used to generate weapons-grade uranium.

Author Is A Centrifuge Consultant

Some months ago I had the good fortune to consult for a local manufacturer of large industrial centrifuge systems which varied in all manner of design, size, and purpose, and weighed in anywhere from several hundred pounds to several tons. Having used a small centrifuge to manufacture biodiesel for my car, I was minimally qualified for this task, but was able to ramp up on centrifuge design and applications in greater detail within a relatively short time. To this day, I still consult in centrifuge applications.

For those of you who are somewhat technically curious, my intention here is to briefly explain how a centrifuge could work in this manner.

After hearing about the news mentioned above, several of my friends have since asked me how a centrifuge works, and how it could possibly be used to create WMD's. After answering more than several of these questions, I saw that I was probably going to get a few more phone calls. Rather than spend more time on the phone, I've decided to answer these questions here on the web.

While I did not help design or put together centrifuge systems that were to be used for weapons production, its easy to see in theory how centrifuge technology could be used in this application.

How Centrifuge Technology Works The Basics

Some of you may recall that I wrote an executive-level explanation of how centrifuges work for biodiesel production.

While the centrifuge machinery that Iran currently uses was purposed no doubt for weapons manufacture, the principle behind these machines is essentially the same as that of any other liquids-based industrial centrifuge.

Liquid-Solids Separation

A centrifuge works on the assumption of disparate specific gravities. By this, I mean that you start with a liquid (a relatively light substance) mixed with solid particles (a relatively heavier substance). Assuming you wish to separate the two, there are at least two ways to achieve this separation.

One is to let this mixture sit in a reactor tank and let gravity do the work. Over time the solid particles eventually settle to the bottom of this

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