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

See Examples For:

gaseous diffusion

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

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

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

None of the four options for uranium enrichment—electromagnetic or thermal separation, gaseous diffusion, or the centrifuge—had clearly outdistanced the others, so none could be ruled out.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik