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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.
Ernest E. Hill, Frederick J. Shon
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 11 | Number 2 | October 1961 | Pages 105-110
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE61-A28053
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper presents a fuel cycle program for an intermediate power research reactor utilizing fully enriched MTR type fuel elements. The fuel cycle program is considered at equilibrium after many cycles have past. The program consists of shifting elements from positions of high importance outward to positions of low importance through several paths. The paths are staggered so that only the elements in one path are shifted at the conclusion of a cycle, and only one element is replaced. The method of calculating the fuel remaining in each element is shown utilizing a fractional burn-up factor for each position. Sample calculations are shown for the LPTR with 23 standard elements in the core and a desired burn-up of 15%. A method is proposed to obtain such an equilibrium condition starting with an initial loading of fuel elements having nearly equal fuel loading.