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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.
A. Assad, M. Chiron, J. C. Nimal, C. M. Diop, P. Ridoux
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 132 | Number 2 | June 1999 | Pages 203-216
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE99-A2060
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This study proposes a new approximating formula for calculating gamma-ray buildup factors in multilayer shields. The formula combines the buildup factors of single-layer shields with products and quotients. The feasibility of the formula for reproducing the buildup factors was tested by using point isotropic buildup factors calculated with the SN1D discrete ordinates code as reference data. The dose buildup factors of single-, double-, and multilayer shields composed of water, aluminum, iron, and lead were calculated for a spherical geometry in the energy range between 10 MeV and 40 keV and for total thicknesses of up to 30 mean free paths. The calculation of the buildup factors takes into account the bound electron effect of Compton scattering (incoherent scattering), the coherent scattering, the pair production, and the secondary sources of bremsstrahlung and fluorescence.The tests have shown that the approximating formula reproduces the reference data of double-layer shields very well for most cases. With the same parameters and with a new physical consideration that takes into account in a global way the degradation of the gamma-ray energy spectrum, the buildup factors of three- and five-layer shields were also very well reproduced.