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Gas centrifuge
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<p>A gas centrifuge is a device that performs <a href="/facts/Isotope_separation/07rvF6NA">isotope separation</a> of gases. A <a href="/facts/Centrifuge/EVGu5ndv">centrifuge</a> relies on the principles of <a href="/facts/Centrifugal_force/CWgvMw6w">centrifugal force</a> accelerating molecules so that particles of different masses are physically separated in a gradient along the radius of a rotating container. A prominent use of gas centrifuges is for the separation of <a href="/facts/Uranium-235/pe0RznDM">uranium-235</a> (235U) from <a href="/facts/Uranium-238/QhcHm6q8">uranium-238</a> (238U). The gas centrifuge was developed to replace the <a href="/facts/Gaseous_diffusion/mHGrDnCd">gaseous diffusion</a> method of 235U extraction. High degrees of separation of these isotopes relies on using many individual centrifuges arranged in series that achieve successively higher concentrations. This process yields higher concentrations of 235U while using significantly less energy compared to the gaseous diffusion process. </p>