-
Natural uranium consists of two different isotopes – nearly 99% U-238 and only around 0.7% of U-235.
-
U-235 is a fissile material that can sustain a chain reaction in a nuclear reactor.
-
Enrichment process increases the proportion of U-235 through the process of isotope separation (U-238 is separated from U-235).
-
For nuclear weapons, enrichment is required upto 90% or more which is known as Highly Enriched Uranium/weapons-grade uranium.
-
For nuclear reactors, enrichment is required upto 3-4% which is known as Low Enriched Uranium/reactor-grade uranium.