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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.
Xuelong Fu, Jie Tao, Dunwen Zuo
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 194 | Number 1 | January 2020 | Pages 69-83
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2019.1654328
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
B4C/CF/PI/AA6061 hybrid composite laminates (BCPAs) with different configurations were fabricated using a hot molding process and then were irradiated by a 60Co gamma ray with various doses (250, 500, 750, and 1000 kGy) under ambient conditions. The effects of gamma irradiation on the morphological, physical, and thermal properties of the BCPAs were evaluated correspondingly. It was shown that the specimens maintained good interfacial adhesion even after gamma irradiation up to 1000 kGy and that no obvious delamination, swelling, and surface irradiation damage could be observed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the BCPAs after gamma irradiation indicated no obvious discrepancy when compared with that of nonirradiated specimens. The specimens still maintained good thermal stability with the experimental temperature up to 400°C. When the specimens were gamma irradiated with the dose of 750 kGy, the thermal stability of the BCPAs was optimal. Polyimide resin under gamma irradiation was inclined to form free radicals close to each other and underwent radiation decomposition, a chain scission and cross-linking reaction, and a secondary cross-linking reaction. By analyzing the C-C bond, C-O bond, and C = O bond in the C1s spectrum, the relative intensity of the C = O bond decreased with the irradiation dose; moreover, gamma irradiation caused the decomposition of a certain amount of the oxygen functional group C = O.