Uranium Enrichment Presentation

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Uranium Enrichment Presentation

• for
• Foundation for Nuclear Studies
• by
• Julian Steyn
• July 24, 2006

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LIGHT WATER REACTOR FUEL CYCLE
UF6 CONVERSION
MINES
ENRICHMENT
FUEL FABRICATION
WASTE
SOURCE AREVA
POWER REACTOR
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SCHEMATIC OF CENTRIFUGE ENRICHMENT PROCESS
(3.0 TO 5.0 U-235)
(NAT-U, 0.711 U-235)
(0.3U-235)
ROTOR ULTRA-LIGHT THIN-WALL TUBE ROTATING AT
THOUSANDS OF REVOLUTIONS/MINUTE
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE GAS (UF6)
SOURCE URENCO WEBSITE
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URENCO CENTRIFUGE CASCADE
SOURCE URENCO
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SCHEMATIC OF GASEOUS DIFFUSION PROCESS
Stage
Motor- Compressor
More Than 1000 Stages/Plant
400 to 4000 HP Motor-Compressors/Stage
SOURCE DOE
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SHUTDOWN OAK RIDGE GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT
K-25
SOURCE DOE ANL
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ENRICHMENT PLANT COST DISTRIBUTION
SOURCE AREVA
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WORLDS SOURCES OF COMMERCIAL ENRICHMENT SERVICES

• Urenco centrifuge plants in U.K., Netherlands,
  and Germany (18)
• USEC diffusion plant at Paducah in Kentucky (25)
• AREVA diffusion plant in South of France (25)
• Russian centrifuge plants at Ekaterinburg, Tomsk,
  Krasnoyarsk, and Angarsk (14)
• Russian highly enriched uranium (HEU) (13)
• Others China, Japan, DOE, MOX (4
• --------------------------------------------------
  -------------------------New centrifuge plants to
  be built by LES in NM, USEC in OH, and AREVA in
  France

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WORLD ENRICHMENT SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS