Nuclear fuel cycle

The sequence of processes that prepares nuclear fuel, uses it in a reactor, and manages or reuses spent fuel and waste. Its stages connect uranium resources to electricity generation and long-term material stewardship.

Uranium mining: The extraction of uranium-bearing ore from the ground for processing into nuclear fuel. Mining supplies the uranium that begins the front end of this cycle.
Once-through nuclear fuel cycle: A fuel-cycle strategy in which spent fuel is stored or disposed of without separating reusable uranium and plutonium. It contrasts with reprocessing by sending spent fuel toward disposal rather than material recovery.
Nuclear power plant: An electricity-generating facility that uses heat from a nuclear reactor to produce steam and drive turbines. Fuel fabrication and delivery must meet the plant’s reactor design and operating schedule.
Nuclear safeguards: International measures that verify nuclear material remains in peaceful use and detect diversion toward weapons. Material accounting and inspections follow uranium and plutonium through sensitive cycle stages.
Uranium conversion: The chemical processing of uranium concentrate into compounds suitable for enrichment or fuel fabrication. Conversion prepares mined uranium for enrichment, usually by producing uranium hexafluoride.
Closed nuclear fuel cycle: A fuel-cycle strategy that recovers and reuses fissile or fertile materials from spent fuel. It contrasts with the once-through route by returning recovered material to fuel production.
Pressurized water reactor: A light-water reactor that keeps water under high pressure so it does not boil in the reactor core. Its uranium fuel requirements shape enrichment levels, assembly design, and refueling practice.
Nuclear safeguards agreement: A legal agreement under which a state accepts verification measures for nuclear material and facilities. Such agreements provide the framework for monitoring fuel-cycle facilities and inventories.
Uranium enrichment: The separation process that raises the proportion of uranium-235 in uranium relative to uranium-238. Most light-water reactors require enriched uranium before fuel fabrication.
Mixed oxide fuel: Reactor fuel made from a mixture of uranium oxide and plutonium oxide. It is a prominent product of reprocessing and a way to reuse separated plutonium.

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