NUCLEAR FUEL CHAIN

Issues   ·   Industry   ·   Resources, Supply & Demand   ·   Trade   ·   Cost   ·   Energy & CO₂ Balance   ·   Impacts

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This page covers general aspects of the front end of the nuclear fuel chain.
For details, see Uranium Mining and Milling and Uranium Enrichment and Fuel Production

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Current Issues

• News    (all Current Issues in chronological order)
• Alerts    (Call for Action, Opportunities for Public Involvement, Activist Events)
• Event Calendar   (Meetings, Conferences)
• Uranium Trade 
• Uranium Hexafluoride Transport 
• Reprocessed Uranium 

Industry Info

• Nuclear Fuel Production Chain 
• Nuclear Fuel Production - Slide Talk 
• World Nuclear Fuel Facilities Data  
• World Nuclear Fuel Maps and Data: Production Capacities   (Java required)
  • Uranium Production Capability  
  • Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion Capacity  
  • Uranium Enrichment Capacity  
  • Fuel Fabrication Capacity (LWR, Uranium Oxide)  
  • Fuel Fabrication Capacity (LWR, MOX)  
  • Fuel Fabrication Capacity (HWR)  
• World Nuclear Fuel Maps and Data: Stockholdings   (Java required)
  • Depleted Uranium Inventory  
  • Military High Enriched Uranium (HEU)  
  • Civilian High Enriched Uranium (HEU)  
  • Weapon-grade Plutonium  
  • Separated Civilian Plutonium (in country)  
• Nuclear Fuel Material Balance Calculator 
  This calculator answers questions such as: How much uranium ore has to be mined to supply the fuel for a nuclear power plant? What amounts of wastes are produced at the front end of the nuclear fuel chain? What amount of electricity is consumed during the enrichment process? The calculator covers the Light Water Reactor (BWR and PWR) fuel chain.

• Conversion of uranium to uranium hexafluoride:
  
  • World Nuclear Fuel Facilities Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion Plant Data  
• Enrichment of natural uranium:
  
  • World Nuclear Fuel Facilities Uranium Enrichment Plant Data  
  • Uranium Enrichment Calculator  (basic) or JOL's Friendly Enrichment Calculator  (sophisticated)
    Calculate the material balance of uranium enrichment.
  • Uranium Enrichment Cost Optimizer  or JOL's Friendly Enrichment Calculator 
    Determine the optimum tails assay, for which the cost of enriched uranium is minimized, based on market prices for uranium and for enrichment work.
• Downblending of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) for nuclear fuel use:
  
  • World Nuclear Fuel Facilities Uranium Downblending Plant Data  
  • Uranium Downblending 
  • Uranium Downblending Calculator 
    Calculate the material balance for downblending of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) - the process being used to make weapons-grade uranium suitable for use as fuel in nuclear power plants.
  • Recycled Nuclear Fuel Cost Calculator 
    Calculate and compare the material balance and nominal cost of nuclear fuel from enriched natural uranium, re-enriched depleted uranium tails, enriched recycled uranium, recycled plutonium (MOX), and downblended highly enriched uranium (HEU).
• Re-enrichment (upgrading) of depleted uranium tails:
  
  • Uranium Enrichment Tails Upgrading (Re-enrichment) 
  • Tails Upgrading Calculator 
    Re-enrichment of depleted uranium - a mystery? No longer with this calculator. How much uranium can be recovered? How does this affect the volume of the depleted uranium stockpiles?
  • Re-Enriched Nuclear Fuel Energy and CO₂ Balance Calculator 
    Calculate an energy consumption and CO₂ emission balance of nuclear fuel production, assuming that the uranium feed is generated from re-enrichment of depleted uranium tails.
  • Recycled Nuclear Fuel Cost Calculator 
    Calculate and compare the material balance and nominal cost of nuclear fuel from enriched natural uranium, re-enriched depleted uranium tails, enriched recycled uranium, recycled plutonium (MOX), and downblended highly enriched uranium (HEU).
  • Re-enrichment of West European Depleted Uranium Tails in Russia (313k PDF ) 
  • Underfeeding at Urenco's Gronau uranium enrichment plant results in reasons for tails exports to Russia becoming obsolete (Feb. 2007) (39k PDF ) 
  • Geänderte Betriebsweise in Urencos Urananreicherungsanlage Gronau führt dazu, daß die Begründung für die Exporte des abgereicherten Urans nach Rußland hinfällig wird (März 2007) (40k PDF  - in German )
• Recycling of plutonium (recovered from spent fuel by reprocessing) in MOX fuel
  
  • World Nuclear Fuel Facilities MOX Fuel Fabrication Plant Data  
  • Recycled Nuclear Fuel Cost Calculator 
    Calculate and compare the material balance and nominal cost of nuclear fuel from enriched natural uranium, re-enriched depleted uranium tails, enriched recycled uranium, recycled plutonium (MOX), and downblended highly enriched uranium (HEU).
• Recycling of reprocessed uranium (recovered from spent fuel by reprocessing)
  
  • Reprocessed uranium
  • World Nuclear Fuel Facilities for processing of recycled uranium Data  
  • Recycled Nuclear Fuel Cost Calculator 
    Calculate and compare the material balance and nominal cost of nuclear fuel from enriched natural uranium, re-enriched depleted uranium tails, enriched recycled uranium, recycled plutonium (MOX), and downblended highly enriched uranium (HEU).
  • JOL's Friendly Enrichment Calculator 
    Performs detailed calculations for the enrichment of natural and reprocessed uranium: mass balance, concentrations of minor isotopes, cost, and optimum tails assay for minimum fuel cost.
• Nuclear fuel fabrication
  
  • World Nuclear Fuel Facilities Light Water Reactor Fuel Fabrication Plant Data  
  • World Nuclear Fuel Facilities Heavy Water Reactor Fuel Fabrication Plant Data  

Resources, Supply and Demand

• Uranium supply and demand - Slide Talk 
• Uranium Maps and Data   (Java required)
  • World Uranium Resources, data and maps   · World uranium resources   (static map)
  • Cumulative Uranium Production  
  • Current Uranium Production  
  • Current Reactor-Related Uranium Requirements  
  • Current Uranium Production vs. Requirements Balance  
• Uranium Ore Deposits · Uranium Recovery from Phosphates · Uranium Recovery from Waste Materials
• Reichweite der Uran-Vorräte der Welt , Erstellt für Greenpeace Deutschland, Peter Diehl, Berlin, Januar 2006 (2MB PDF  - in German )
• Nuclear Fuel Supply Calculator 
  Calculate production and supply of nuclear fuel, and the lifespan of the world uranium resources.
• Uranium Market   
• Bibliography  

Trade of uranium and nuclear fuel

• Uranium Trade - Current Issues 
• Uranium Hexafluoride Transport - Current Issues 
• Uranium Market   : Trade Statistics · Uranium Price

Cost of nuclear fuel production

• Nuclear Fuel Cost Calculator 
  Calculate the official and the hidden cost of nuclear fuel: The market price for nuclear fuel does not necessarily include the future waste management costs linked to its production.
• Recycled Nuclear Fuel Cost Calculator 
  Calculate and compare the material balance and nominal cost of nuclear fuel from enriched natural uranium, re-enriched depleted uranium tails, enriched recycled uranium, recycled plutonium (MOX), and downblended highly enriched uranium (HEU).
• Uranium Mine Feasibility Calculator 
  Determine the economic feasibility of a uranium mine and mill: establish the material and cost balance of uranium mine and mill operations.
• Uranium Enrichment Cost Optimizer 
  Determine the optimum tails assay, for which the cost of enriched uranium is minimized, based on market prices for uranium and for enrichment work.
• Depleted Uranium Value Calculator 
  Determine the monetary value of depleted uranium tails, here defined as the value that can be realized (in times of high uranium market prices) by re-enrichment to natural-equivalent uranium.
• Bibliography  

Energy and CO2 Balance of nuclear fuel production

• Nuclear Fuel Energy and CO₂ Balance Calculator 
  Calculate an energy consumption and CO₂ emission balance of nuclear fuel production.
• Re-Enriched Nuclear Fuel Energy and CO₂ Balance Calculator 
  Calculate an energy consumption and CO₂ emission balance of nuclear fuel production, assuming that the uranium feed is generated from re-enrichment of depleted uranium tails.
• Bibliography  

Impacts of nuclear fuel production

• Nuclear Fuel Production - Slide Talk 
• Nuclear Fuel Chain Waste Activity Calculator 
  Calculate and compare activities and radioactive decay of the wastes from nuclear fuel production: uranium mine waste rock, uranium mill tailings, depleted uranium, and spent fuel.
• Nuclear Fuel Population Health Risk Calculator 
  Calculate collective doses and health risks from the production of nuclear fuel.