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Uranium enrichment is a crucial process that increases the concentration of the fissile uranium-235 isotope (U-235) from its natural abundance. Natural uranium contains only about 0.7% U-235, with the vast majority being the non-fissile uranium-238 (U-238). Most nuclear power reactors and all nuclear weapons require uranium with a much higher percentage of U-235, typically 3-5% for power and over 90% for weapons. The challenge lies in separating these isotopes, as they have almost identical chemical properties and differ only slightly in mass.

The most common and energy-efficient method for enrichment is the gas centrifuge process. First, solid uranium is converted into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas. This gas is then fed into rapidly spinning cylindrical centrifuges. Due to its slightly greater mass, the heavier U-238 isotope tends to move towards the outer wall of the centrifuge, while the lighter U-235 concentrates nearer the center. This slight separation is collected, and the process is repeated through thousands of interconnected centrifuges, known as a cascade, to achieve the desired enrichment level.