S-50 Thermal Diffusion Plant
Secret Military Facilities
Summary…
Built to separate uranium 235 from uranium 238A third process was started at the S-50 Thermal Diffusion Plant, using thermal diffusion but it began too late to have any impact on events and was not carried to completion.
The S-50 plant used convection to separate the isotopes in thousands of tall columns. It was built next to the K-25 power plant, which provided the necessary steam. Much less efficient than K-25, the S-50 plant was torn down after the war.
In depth…
