What were the two most successful methods used to separate U235 from U238 during the Manhattan Project?

Answer 1

Gaseous diffusion was correctly mentioned, but the other method used was not, so I will. It is electromagnetic separation. This method has the distinct advantage that you can get a great deal of separation in just one pass through the machine, but the distinct disadvantage that the rate that it can process material is very slow. So what the Manhattan Project engineers did was to use gaseous diffusion (which can handle large quantities of feedstock) to enrich the raw uranium part way, and to put the (much smaller) result into the E-M separators (called calutrons, because University of California scientists devised them) to finish the job. The calutron plant, like the gaseous diffusion plant, was at Oak Ridge.

Centrifugal separation was not used in the Manhattan Project. However, it has become a popular method used by nuclear wannabees such as Iraq, as well as by Pakistan, and probably India and others. It is similar in its charateristics to gaseous diffusion (low enrichment per stage, lots of stages needed) but is somewhat cheaper.

Answer 2

Gaseous diffusion of uranium hexaflorid gas was (and to this day still is) used for the seperation. This method is combersome requiring miles of dialysis diffusion membranes and energy intensive. In addition, it requires a very large building (the gasseious diffusion seperation facility at oak ridge was one of the largest structures ever built). Although this method continues to be used in an ever diminishing form, centrifugal seperation is the future. Little space and minimla power iws needed for this seperation. The centrifuges can be hidden in small buildings or dispersed around a country (not always a good thing) and ultilizing an enrichement cascade of centrifuges linked together, extremely pure enriched uranium (enrichement level >90%) can be made. This high purity of course is needed for bomb manufacturing and not only alows the fission reaction to occur but is small enough to fit on a warhead one could carry in a suitcase. Hihger purity also increases the yield of the detonation. Today most highly enriched uranium is used to fuel naval reactors on aircraft carriers and submarines. In these instances, a compact reactor with a very long lived dense fuel supply is needed. Centrifugal enrichement was used to a limited extent during the manhattan project but the technology of the centrifuges was not where they needed to be yet.

Answer 3

gas diffusion and centrifuge. Both rely on the difference in the mass of the two isotopes.

rhsaunders reply is correct. See the site attached and scroll to Uranium Bomb. What is funny is I work in Oak Ridge making gamma and neutron detection equipment and just returned from an INMM (Institute of Nuclear Materials Management) meeting and I missed this...lol....but I was never good at history!!

Answer 4

Your question presumes that the Germans have been conscious that the U. S. had invested thousands and thousands into an attempt to harness the (then) pretty theoretical thought of splitting an atom. it extremely is no longer likely that this assumption is right. Germany became, easily, exploring the belief (with Heavy Water production, as an occasion), yet they did no longer concentration on it as lots because of the fact the U. S. did, no longer is there any information that the Germans relatively understood that they have been in a race to realize the splitting of the atom. Germany's stepped forward examine and progression efforts have been concentrated on jet warring parties and vengence weapons, extremely. the priority, you spot, is the weak point of German espionage efforts outdoors of Europe. The British have been extremely very effective at ferreting out and shooting and/or turning German brokers in Britain, and the seize of an Enigma gadget and the breaking of the code allowed for the British (and by capacity of extension, the U. S.) to examine Germany's secret communications. whether there have been some German efforts to infiltrate spies into the U. S., they have been often dismal mess ups, and the cloak of secrecy surrounding the Manhatten challenge became by no capacity (to my expertise) penetrated from without. it form of feels sparkling now, whether, that the countless scientists engaged on the challenge have been feeding archives to the Soviets, yet easily to no longer the Germans. One might desire to word whether that the U. S. became very lots conscious that trhey have been racing to triumph over Germany to achiving considered one of those weapon. British and American intelligence factors in Germany have been respectable, and in addition to, lots of the scientists who had labored on the earliest theoretical fashions for splitting the atom in Germany had fled Hitler's anti_jewish and anti-Communist purges. a very significant component of the inducement for the extensive attempt placed into the challenge became a fear that Germany might desire to nicely get there first. finally, the bomb became outfitted to apply against German objectives, and Germany surrenderedf in the previous the bomb became complete.

Answer 5

probably centrifuging and... uhmm....

Answer 6

guess...?