Optimum axial flow taper in a countercurrent gas centrifuge

The effect of an axially varying countercurrent circulation rate in a gas centrifuge on the efficiency factors, e/sub I/, the ideality efficiency, and e/sub C/, the circulation efficiency, is investigated and compared with the case in which the countercurrent circulation rate is constant throughout the centrifuge. The optimum variation of the centrifuge parameter m, which is a measure of the countercurrent circulation rate, as a function of axial position in the centrifuge is determined. It is shown that when the countercurrent circulation rate has its optimum value at every axial position in the centrifuge, the product of the efficiency factors, e/sub I/ x e/sub C/, can exceed 81 per cent, the nominal upper limit of the value of the product of the efficiency factors for a constant countercurrent circulation rate, and can be quite close to unity. This is illustrated by numerical examples.