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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.
W. D. Kelley, B. L. Twitty
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 13 | Number 4 | August 1962 | Pages 374-377
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE62-A26179
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An improved neutron activation procedure for determining the U235 content in impure uranium samples is presented. With 95% confidence, a relative precision of ±1% is obtained at the level of 0.7 wt % U235. An ethyl acetate extraction is used to purify the uranium chemically. Most of the uranium decay products are removed by extraction with 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) in xylene. The purified uranium, which is subsequently activated as U3O8, has a consistent gamma background level. Utilization of a i.d. well scintillation crystal has permitted the use of large diameter aluminum planchettes holding 2 gm aliquots of U3O8. This system has minimized the problem of varying irradiation geometries caused by differences in U3O8 bulk density. Data from a sample recycle program are presented to illustrate the relative precision of ±1%. Comparisons between neutron activation and mass spectrometric results agree within ±1%.