Trucks deliver cylinders full of natural assay uranium hexafluoride (UF-6) to the plant's Toll Transfer and Receiving Facility. Incoming cylinders are inspected, weighed and sampled.

The plant feeds UF-6 into its enrichment process at one of two feed facilities. Here, large containment autoclaves are used to heat the cylinders, converting the solid UF-6 to a liquid and then to a gas.

The Central Control facility is the heart of the plant. From this location, the Shift Superintendent and his staff monitor plant functions around the clock. Careful coordination is required to balance the plant's production needs and electricity purchases. Also based here is the plant's Emergency Operations Center, a specially trained group of managers that can be summoned at any time to respond to a plant emergency.

There are four enrichment process buildings at the plant, each supported by its own switchyard and cooling towers. The buildings house the motors, compressors and process piping used to enrich uranium. The steaming cooling towers are part of the plant's recirculating cooling water system. Evaporation claims about 12 million gallons of that water every day. Water pumped from the nearby Ohio River replaces what is lost as steam.

Production equipment inside the process buildings is made up of converters like this one. Each converter contains separating barriers and gas cooler. An axial compressor, powered by an electric motor, pumps gas through each converter.

Enriched UF-6 is removed from the process at the Product Withdrawal Facility. It is cooled to convert the gas back to a liquid, then drained into the cylinders. The liquid is allowed to cool and return to a solid form before it is transported.

Cylinders of enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF-6) are loaded into protective overpacks for shipment to the Portsmouth, Ohio, plant for further enrichment before being shipped to USEC customers around the world.

There are four switchyards at the plant to control and route the incoming electricity.

Each process building has its own set of cooling towers. The cooling towers remove the heat generated during the enrichment process. Up to 12 million gallons of water are lost each day through steam-off from the cooling towers.

This administration building houses the general manager's office, the engineering organization, accounting functions, computer and telecommunications support. A medical center and cafeteria are also located here.

A fully equipped fire-fighting team is a key element in the plant's emergency response program.