Investigations of the electrical characteristics of a vacuum arc centrifuge

This thesis presents an over-view of isotope separation techniques, particularly using rotating plasmas and outlines recent developments in VAC technology. The theoretical basis, design and construction of the ANSTO VAC is described. An explanation of the experimental apparatus and data acquisition system follows. The vacuum arc discharge characteristics and plasma measurements are presented. The degree of measured separation is analysed against theoretical predictions which indicate that greater separation performance is achievable.