ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2026
Nuclear Technology
September 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
Front-end nuclear fuel supply cooperation: Turning allied interdependence into strategic advantage
The global nuclear revival, which is fueled by unprecedented demand for firm, affordable, dispatchable power for artificial intelligence and data center build-out, energy security imperatives, and climate commitments, has exposed a structural reality of the Western fuel cycle: No single allied nation currently possesses the full suite of front-end capabilities. From mining through conversion, enrichment, fabrication, and the emerging deconversion and metallization steps required for reactor fuels, capability is distributed across Canada, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States (collectively, the “Sapporo Five”), as well as a small group of close partners.
R. Schulten
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 90 | Number 4 | August 1985 | Pages 388-390
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE85-A18486
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
For some time small high-temperature reactors, because of their special safety properties, have been of interest to various countries. The prototype of these facilities is the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor in Jülich. During the past 17 years of operation, the components of the reactor, especially the fuel elements, have proved suitable for achieving permanent temperatures of the heat transfer medium of up to 950 °C with low contamination of the loop. The convincing safety behavior of the reactor has been demonstrated. It is apparent that for this design an after heat removal system is not required, since the afterheat can be adequately removed by heat conduction. In addition to the thorium/uranium fuel cycle originally planned, utilization of low-enrichment uranium in the fuel elements has also been fully developed.