The Aerodynamic Separation Process (ASP) is Klydon's proprietary technology for separating components of a gas mixture or different isotopes of a specific gaseous compound based on the mass difference of the gas components or the isotopes. This is achieved by a high-speed centrifugal rotation of the said gas mixture or isotope mixture where the separation obtained is the net effect of the centrifugal forces and the versatility in deployment of Stokes forces acting on the mass particle. A lesser-known embodiment of the principles of centrifugal separation is the stationary wall centrifuge that has no moving mechanical parts. ASP principles relates to a device for the separation of gas components and isotopic species, which utilizes novel extensions to the genesis concepts of the stationary wall centrifuge that is in the public domain.

KLYDON has to date not done any test work on Uranium or UF₆. Test work in our laboratories was done starting with 'lighter' isotopes of silicon and carbon, and based on the highly successful results the Company embarked on the construction of a commercial demonstration plant (the 'Alpha plant') for Si-28 production.

Klydon Technology continued experimentation with isotopes of a wider range and can confidently claim that the process proves even more effective for the 'heavier' isotopes.

The accrued isotope separation experience of key Klydon personnel on various separation processes (Vortex, Centrifuge, MLIS, AVLIS, CHEMLIS and ASP) is in excess of 500 man years. This experience qualifies Klydon to benchmark the ASP technology against the reference and emerging technologies of the previous and existing decades (gaseous diffusion, centrifuge and laser excitation) and to deliver an authoritative opinion on the ASP technology's competitive edge.

The ASP technology offers a lower-than-benchmark cost alternative to isotope separation for uranium, and is expected to be welcomed by industry and political bodies worldwide. One of the major benefits of employing this technology is the reduced capital costs enabling smaller plants to be economically viable.

The advantages over other technologies can be summarized as:

• Significantly reduced capital cost.
• Energy costs comparable to that of gas centrifuge process (bench mark) leading to total operating costs that are lower than the centrifuge process.
• The reduced capital costs enable plants of smaller capacity to be economically viable.
• A potentially big advantage of the ASP process is that the smaller economy of scale, and the lower total operation cost (including the construction capital costs) provide a compelling argument in favor of building enrichment plants to re-circulate uranium "tails" thus solving a big environmental problem for the nuclear energy industry.
• The lower total operating cost of a plant based on the ASP technology will enable enrichment to more optimum levels thus generating 'tails' of lower U-235 content (down to 0.1% typically envisaged).

In addition, the ASP technology has a wide application because of its ability to efficiently and economically separate isotopes of lower mass, the so-called 'lighter' isotopes. This opens the door for ASP to be applied to the separation of the following stable isotopes:

• Silicon enrichment. With application in the fields of semi conductors, solar heating and the pebble bed modular reactor project. ...read more
• Zirconium enrichment (or depletion) applied to nuclear power reactors. By depleting (the opposite of enrichment) the Zr-91, -92 and -96 isotopes, the neutron economics of the nuclear power plants is greatly enhanced ...read more
• Other applications in nuclear plants such as boron and gadolinium enrichment improving economics and safety in these installations.
• This technology can also be applied to the production of pure isotopes with applications in medicine. Isotopes are used both for diagnostic purposes and for certain treatments such as chemotherapy. With isotope-pure chemicals the treatments and procedures can be more focused and improved dosing will result in fewer side effects.
• Potential application for the removal of impurities in methane gas thereby enabling the application of this technology to the very large natural gas market.

Klydon's isotope separation technology has been successfully demonstrated in the Alpha Plant, a pilot plant facility that was constructed and commissioned during 2007-2008 for the enrichment of the Si-28 isotope from natural silicon. The major objectives of the Alpha Plant were:

• To act as the ASP technology demonstrator,
• To serve as a benchmark to determine separation costs and specific energy consumption, and validate separation unit performance and cascade configuration,
• To manufacture limited quantities of the Si-28 isotope, a product with application in the semi-conductor and solar energy industries. These samples are to be used to evaluate the improvements and estimate the market potential for Si-28 in certain market applications.

The Alpha Plant has the following characteristics:

• Silicon feedstock is the form of silane gas (SiH₄) in a H₂ carrier gas
• Separation design capacity of 1000 SWU, or approximately 1300 kg Si-28 (as silane) enriched to 98%
• Fully integrated control systems
• In-house testing facilities for compressors and separation unit performance.

Klydon takes cognizance of the fact that it operates in a highly regulated environment with technologies classified as "dual-use technologies" in terms of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that the legal framework for doing business internationally is still in the process of being established. Despite this, Klydon has put in place a number of strategic initiatives to accelerate the development of the ASP technology towards commercial realization and to gear the organization for the exciting opportunities that beckon.