gaseous diffusion

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. the passage of gas through microporous barriers, a technique used for isotope separation, especially in the preparation of fuel for nuclear reactors.

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Etymology

Origin of gaseous diffusion

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

The centrifuge plant in Piketon, operated by Centrus Energy, occupies a corner of the site of the old gaseous diffusion facility.

From New York Times • Jun. 14, 2023

In the 1950s, as the nuclear era began in earnest, Piketon became the site of one of two enormous enrichment facilities in the Ohio River Valley region, where a process called gaseous diffusion was used.

From New York Times • Jun. 14, 2023

Since it was not known which uranium isotope separation technique — gaseous diffusion, calutron, or centrifuge — would be the most successful, General Leslie Groves insisted that all techniques be pursued simultaneously.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2018

They have worked together on issues ranging from industrial hemp to national right-to-work legislation to the fate of a gaseous diffusion plant in Paducah, Kentucky.

From Time • Mar. 27, 2013

He arrived at the Rad Lab skeptical about electromagnetic separation, having been convinced of the superiority of gaseous diffusion by his technical advisors, who came from a petroleum industry familiar with that technology.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik