A method and system for separating radioactive waste containing volatiles, into light ions and heavy ions, includes a loader/transporter for transferring the waste into a high vacuum environment in the chamber of a plasma processor. During this transfer, gases of the volatiles are released from the waste, collected in a holding tank, and subsequently ionized in the chamber. As the volatiles are ionized, the ions are directed by a magnetic field into contact with the waste to vaporize the waste. The waste vapors are then ionized in the plasma processor chamber to create a multi-species plasma which includes electrons, light ions and heavy ions. Within the chamber, the density of the multi-species plasma is established to be above its collision density in order to establish a substantially uniform velocity for all ions in the plasma. A nozzle accelerates the multi-species plasma to generate a fluid stream which is directed from the chamber toward an inertial separator. A magnetic field in the inertial separator effectively blocks electrons in the stream from entering the separator. On the other hand, the inertia of the various ions in the stream carry them into the separator where they are segregated into light ions and heavy ions according to their atomic weights. After segregation, the heavy ions are vitrified for subsequent disposal.
A device for separating high-mass ions (having cyclotron frequency .OMEGA..sub.h) from low-mass ions (having cyclotron frequency .OMEGA..sub.l) in a plasma includes a chamber. Coils are provided to generate a substantially uniform magnetic field in the chamber. An antenna is provided to launch a left-hand elliptically polarized electromagnetic wave into the chamber along the stationary magnetic field that is evanescent in the multi-species plasma. Importantly, the E vector of the elliptically polarized electromagnetic wave rotates at a frequency, .omega., where .OMEGA..sub.h <.omega.<.OMEGA..sub.l. Ponderomotive forces are generated by the electromagnetic wave that cause the low-mass ions to move toward the antenna while causing the high-mass ions to move away from the antenna.
An isotope separator includes a cylindrical chamber having first and second ends, and a length "L." Inside the chamber, an E.times.B field is applied to produce plasma rotation. The energy in the plasma rotation is chosen to be much higher than the electron temperature which is clamped by radiation. As the plasma then transits the chamber through the length "L", the electrons cool the thermal temperature of the isotope ions while maintaining the rotation. Under these conditions, the minority and majority isotopes become substantially separated from each other before they exit the chamber. To achieve this result, E.times.B is determined using mathematically derived expressions and, in compliance with these parameters, the length "L" of the chamber is determined so that the plasma residence time in the chamber, .tau..sub.1, will be greater than the cooling time, .tau..sub.2 (.tau..sub.1 >.tau..sub.2) necessary to affect isotope separation.
A high throughput plasma mass filter includes a substantially cylindrical shaped plasma chamber with structures for generating a magnetic field (B) that is crossed with an electric field (E) in the chamber (E.times.B). An injector introduces into the chamber a multi-species plasma having ions of different mass to charge ratios. To obtain high throughput (.GAMMA.), the initial density of this multi-species plasma is considerably greater than a collisional density wherein there is a probability of "one" that an ion collision will occur within a single rotation of the ion under the influence of E.times.B. The length of the chamber is chosen to insure heavy ions can make their way to the wall before transiting the device.
A device for separating particles according to their respective masses includes a substantially cylindrical wall of inner radius, "R.sub.wall ", that surrounds a chamber and defines a longitudinal axis. A multi-species plasma having relatively cold ions is initiated at a first end of the chamber within a relatively small radius, "r.sub.source ", from the longitudinal axis. A hollow cylinder having an outer radius, "R.sub.outer ", is positioned at the second end of the chamber and centered on the axis. Cross electric and magnetic fields (E.times.B) are established in the chamber that are configured to send ions of relatively high mass on trajectories having a radial apogee, r.sub.apogee, that is greater than the cylinder's outer radius (r>R.sub.outer). After reaching apogee, these ions lose energy and strike the cylinder where they are collected. Low mass ions are placed on small radius helical trajectories and pass through the hollow cylinder.
