Nuclear Fuel

Uranium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fuel_cycle

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 Creating Uranium Fuel
• 50,000 tonnes of ore from mine
• 200 tonnes of uranium oxide concentrate (U3O8)
– Milling process at mine
• 25 tonnes of enriched uranium oxide
– uranium oxide is converted into a gas, uranium
hexafluoride (UF6),
– Every tonne of uranium hexafluoride separated into
about 130 kg of enriched UF6 (about 3.5% U-235) and
870 kg of ‘poor' UF6 (mostly U-238).
– The enriched UF6 is finally converted into uranium
dioxide (UO2) powder
– Pressed into fuel pellets which are encased in zirconium
alloy tubes to form fuel rods.

Uranium Mined and Refined

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Uranium Enrichment

Nuclear Fuel Pellet

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Pellets Encased in Ceramic

Pellets Inserted into Rods

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World Uranium Production

http://www.uic.com.au/opinion6.html