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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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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.
Hugh K. Clark
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 20 | Number 3 | November 1964 | Pages 307-313
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE64-A19574
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Calculations of the critical sizes of cubic arrays of interacting fissionable units are compared with critical experiments. The units are of two types: vessels containing 5 liters of an aqueous solution of highly enriched uranium, and cylinders of highly enriched uranium metal. The arrays are surrounded by various thicknesses of hydrogenous reflectors. Agreement between calculation and experiment is reasonably good. The similarity of the results obtained with the widely differing types of units invites confidence in general applications of the method of calculation. Tables are presented for computing critical and safe sizes of cubic arrays of 8, 27, 64, or 125 identical units as a function of the albedo of the reflector surrounding the array and of the reactivity of an individual unit.