uranium enrichment

Physical procedure with which the percentage of the fissile isotope Uranium-235 (U-235) can be increased beyond the content of 0.72 % of natural uranium. In the Federal Republic of Germany an uranium enrichment plant is operated for this purpose by URENCO Deutschland GmbH in Gronau where uranium - in the form of the volatile chemical compound uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) - is enriched with the help of a gas centrifugal system on a large technical scale.