Urenco’s Long-Term Use of CRIUS® Technology: Uranium Enrichment and Process Safety

Uranium is widely utilized as a fuel source for nuclear power generation. However, following extraction, it must undergo an enrichment process to increase the concentration of the fissile isotope uranium-235 (U-235), which is present in natural uranium at relatively low levels.

Urenco provides uranium enrichment services to clients across various industries worldwide. The enrichment process typically involves uranium hexafluoride (UF₆), which contains two primary isotopes: uranium-235 and uranium-238 (U-238). Urenco employs centrifuge technology to achieve isotope separation. In this process, UF₆ is subjected to intense centrifugal force, which enables the separation of isotopes based on mass. U-235, being lighter, tends to concentrate toward the center of the centrifuge, while the heavier U-238 moves outward.

Centrifuges are connected in series—referred to as a cascade—to progressively increase the concentration of U-235. Through repeated cycles within the cascade, a higher-enriched sample of U-235 is produced, while byproducts such as U-238 and hydrogen fluoride (HF) are removed.

Hydrogen fluoride is highly toxic and poses significant risks to human health. Accordingly, its handling, storage, and disposal are subject to stringent safety controls.

To ensure the safe management of HF within its enrichment facilities, Urenco has relied on Process Instruments’ CRIUS® instrument controller technology for over 25 years. The CRIUS® system monitors HF levels and serves as a critical safety mechanism for detecting potential leaks. The latest iteration, the CRIUS®4.0, incorporates configurable alarms to alert operators to abnormal conditions or system faults.

Pi’s service engineer Jonathan recently carried out a service visit and said:

“The system is still running just as well as it was when it was first installed in 1999!”

The continued optimal performance of this system, more than two decades after installation, underscores the reliability and robustness of Pi’s instrumentation in high-stakes industrial environments.

Click here to watch a short, animated video about Pi’s instrument controllers. For any further information, you can contact us here.