Science, technology and the industrialization of laser-driven processes

Members of the laser program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) potential applications of lasers in industry, some of which are: isotope separation, cleanup of radioactive waste, trace impurity removal, selective chemical reactions, photochemical activation or dissociation of gases, control of combustion particulates, crystal and powder chemistry, and laser induced biochemistry are reviewed. Many of these areas are currently under active study in the community. The investigation at LLNL focused on laser isotope separation of atomic uranium because of the large demand and high product enrichment price for material used as fuel in commercial light-water nuclear power reactors. They also believed that once the technology was fully developed and deployed, it could be applied directly to separating many elements economicprogram at LLNL has an extensive uranium and plutonium program of $100 M in Fy85 and a minor research program for other elements. This report describes the AVLIS program conducted covering the following topics: candidate elements, separative work units, sepctroscopic selectivety, major systems, facilities, integrated process model, multivariable sensitivity studies, world market, and US enrichment enterprise.