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The busyness of the nuclear fuel supply chain
Ken Petersenpresident@ans.org
With all that is happening in the industry these days, the nuclear fuel supply chain is still a hot topic. The Russian assault in Ukraine continues to upend the “where” and “how” of attaining nuclear fuel—and it has also motivated U.S. legislators to act.
Two years into the Russian war with Ukraine, things are different. The Inflation Reduction Act was passed in 2022, authorizing $700 million in funding to support production of high-assay low-enriched uranium in the United States. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy this January issued a $500 million request for proposals to stimulate new HALEU production. The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 includes $2.7 billion in funding for new uranium enrichment production. This funding was diverted from the Civil Nuclear Credits program and will only be released if there is a ban on importing Russian uranium into the United States—which could happen by the time this column is published, as legislation that bans Russian uranium has passed the House as of this writing and is headed for the Senate. Also being considered is legislation that would sanction Russian uranium. Alternatively, the Biden-Harris administration may choose to ban Russian uranium without legislation in order to obtain access to the $2.7 billion in funding.
Robert A. Anderl, Robert J. Pawelko, Galen R. Smolik, Richard G. Castro
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 34 | Number 3 | November 1998 | Pages 738-744
Safety and Environment | doi.org/10.13182/FST98-A11963702
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper presents the results of experiments and analyses to quantify the chemical reactivity of plasma-sprayed (PS) Be specimens exposed to steam. Test specimens with densities of 94% theoretical density (TD) and 92% TD were prepared by a low-pressure-plasma-spraying (LPPS) technique. Sample density, porosity and specific surface area were measured using immersion density and gas-adsorption techniques. Microstructural characterization was done using optical and electron microscopy. Hydrogen generation rates were obtained from tests of specimens in steam at temperatures from 350 to 1000°C. Below 700°C, hydrogen generation rates for the 94% TD material were somewhat higher than rates for 100% TD Be, but they were substantially lower than rates for the 92% TD Be and for previously tested PS-Be and porous Be. Reaction rate differences correlated with specific surface area differences for the materials tested.