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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.
S. H. Chan, H. H. Tseng
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 71 | Number 2 | August 1979 | Pages 215-227
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE79-A20415
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In analyzing radiant energy exchange between fuel and coolant in a reactor, it is necessary to know the reflection, absorption, and emission characteristics of the fuel and its interface with the coolant. Because of the unavailability and great uncertainty of these radiation properties, they are calculated from the electromagnetic theory of optics, and results are presented here. Depending on the contacting medium, six types of surfaces received consideration. They are the interfaces between uranium dioxide and sodium, uranium dioxide and steel, uranium dioxide and a gas, water and a gas, steel and a gas, as well as sodium and a gas. The spectral interface reflectance and the spectral absorptance from one side of the medium to the other side are evaluated for all wavelengths. These spectral properties are further integrated to yield the total hemispherical properties for a black body source over a temperature range from 1200 to 6000 K. Comparisons are made with available experimental data or calculated values, and the agreement is found to be generally good.