The Effects Of Source Function Types On Mass Flow And Isotopic Distribution Inside A Gas Centrifuge

The gas flow models inside a centrifuge domain are derived using the sources and sinks of mass, momentum, and energy. The system of equations governing the flow are combined to give non-homogeneous form of Onsager’s equation without the pancake approximation, which is solved using finite element analysis. The derivations and details of the solution technique have been explored by numerous authors in literature. This article focuses on the analysis of source distribution and strength for feed injection and the tails and product withdrawal via boundaries. Four different types of shape functions for the axial spreading of the sources and sinks are evaluated and their impact on the flow and isotopic distributions are compared. The mathematical description of the source terms can be given as S(x,y)=S0G(x)H(y), where S0 is the strength, H(y) is the axial distribution and G(x) is the radial distribution. In the radial direction, the source distribution is assumed to be given by a delta function while in the axial direction, the three different cases considered include triangular, linear step, gaussian, and delta shape functions. The triangle and the gaussian are anticipated to be more realistic representation of the flow shapes and provide smoother distributions. In order to facilitate the comparison of these three functions, mass flow and concentration gradient plots are generated for an example hypothetical centrifuge.