1

A Look at Nuclear Science and Technology

Larry Foulke

Module 1.4 Grand Tour of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle - Front End Detail

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

Uranium Isotopic Content

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

Open Pitt Uranium Mining

Typical Open Pit Mine and Mill Facility

Rössing open pit mine, Namibia

Image Source: See Note 1

Image Source: See Note 2

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

In Situ Leaching (ISL) Uranium Mining

Image Source: See Note 3

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

Occurrence of Uranium in the Earth’s Crust

Image Source: See Note 4

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  Image Source: See Note 4

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

Uranium Milling Solvent-

Extraction Separation

Uranium Mill

Ore Grinding

Image Source: See Note 5

Yellowcake Product Image Source: See Note 6

Image Source: See Note 6

Image Source: See Note 6

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

Uranium Conversion

Yellowcake

Conversion Cycle

Image Source: See Note 7 Uranium Hexafluoride (UF6) crystals

UF6 Cylinder

Image Source: See Note 8

Image Source: See Note 6 Image Source: See Note 6

§  Conversion Input is yellowcake and fluorine §  Conversion Output is UF6

§  Fluorine is used for two reasons: §  Only one isotope of fluorine §  Physical properties are commercially viable §  UF6 is the only uranium compound that exists as a

gas at a suitable temperature

U Conversion

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

Uranium Enrichment Gas flow through a Diffusion Stage

Image Source: See Note 11

U Enrichment by the Gas Centrifuge Process (100,000 rpm)

Image Source: See Note 11

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

Views of a Urenco Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Cascade

Image Source: See Note 6

Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation

U metal feed – no UF6 !

Laser Enrichment (AVLIS) of Uranium

Image Source: See Note 6

Separation of Isotopes by Laser EXitation Australian technology.

Laser Enrichment (SILEX)

In September 2012, the NRC issued its decision regarding a License for GE Hitachi to build a commercial plant using SILEX

Image Source: See not e 16

Westinghouse Fuel Fabrication Facility

Image Source: See Note 6

They are "dished" slightly on each end. End taper allows pellets to expand and contract through drastic temperature changes inside reactor without damaging fuel or cladding materials

Reactor Fuel (Pellet) Fabrication Final machined pellets are typically about 0.5 inch in length & about 0.33 inch in diameter.

Image Source: See note 9

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Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

Fuel Fabrication

New Fuel Assembly

Fuel Rods

Image Source: See note 6

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Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

One truck load per month (2,000 kilograms) versus 25 trainloads of coal per month (260,000,000 kilograms)

Image Source: See note 17

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Assembly is shock-mounted so that damage does not occur during transport to customer which is usually performed by truck

New Fuel Shipping Container

Images Source: See Note 6 Images Source: See Note 6

Images Source: See Note 6

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

Light Water Reactor Uranium Fuel Cycle

§  Reactor Operations §  Fresh Fuel Storage

§  Reactor Fueling

§  Power Generation / Fuel Consumption

§  Depletion/Burnup of Fissile 235U

§  Conversion of 238U to Plutonium

§  Removal of Fuel from Reactor

§  Spent Fuel Storage Fuel Loading

Image Source: See Note 13

Reactor Site

Image source: See note 14

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

Spent Fuel

Image Source: See note 6

Spent Fuel

Yucca Mountain

Image Source: See Note 15

Nuclear  Engineering  Program  

LWR Fuel Cycle

Closed

Image source: See note 6

1. GNU Free Documentation License: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arandis_Mine_quer.jpg

2. US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Module 2.0 of the Fuel Cycle Processes Directed Self-Study Course. Figure 2-3. http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1204/ML12045A004.pdf

3. US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Information Digest, 2012–2013 (NUREG-1350, Volume 24). Figure 35. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1350/v24/sr1350v24-sec-4.pdf

Image Source Notes

4. World Nuclear Association. Used with permission. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Nuclear-Fuel-Cycle/Uranium-Resources/Supply-of-Uranium/#.UW9VSkrSkrk

5. Nuclear Engineering – Theory and Technology of Commercial Nuclear Power by Ronald Allen Knief, 2nd Edition, American Nuclear Society, 2008. Used with permission.

6. Presentation to NRC staff August 23, 2010, used with permission.

7. Public domain: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yellowcake.jpg

Image Source Notes

8. Public domain: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uranium_hexafluoride_crystals_sealed_in_an_ampoule.jpg

9. Public Domain: http://www.nrc.gov/images/reading-rm/photo-gallery/20071114-022.jpg

10. USNRC - http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/ur-enrichment.html

11. Public domain: http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/ur-enrichment.html

Image Source Notes

12. Public Domain: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/curriculum/unit1/images/fuel_pool.jpg

13. Used with permission from Randall Burk, FirstEnergy Corp 14. Public Domain: http://www.dbcp.gov.hk/eng/safety/plants.htm

15. Public Domain: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2004/energy.html

16. Used with permission of Emily Cooper for IEEE Spectrum Magazine.

Image Source Notes

17. Public Domain: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_train#Bulk

18. Used with permission from the USNRC.

19. Used with permission from Erik Arroyo – University of Pittsburgh

Image Source Notes