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Launching into tomorrow: NRIC guides new era of research and deployment
In June 2025, the Department of Energy announced the Reactor Pilot Program, an authorization pathway that allowed reactor developers to partner with the DOE to get first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactors built and tested. Soon after, the DOE rolled out a complementary Fuel Line Pilot Program, which aimed to fast-track fuel projects. In all, 20 projects were accepted into the new programs.
Sven G. Brandberg
Nuclear Technology | Volume 18 | Number 2 | May 1973 | Pages 177-184
Technical Paper | A Review of Plutonium Utilization in Thermal Reactors / Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT73-A31286
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Four different methods for the conversion of UF6 to ceramic grade UO2 powder have been developed to an industrial scale. Two of them, the ADU and AUC processes, are based upon precipitation of uranium compounds from aqueous solutions. The other two follow a dry route in which UF6 is decomposed and reduced by steam and hydrogen in either fluidized beds or rotating kilns. The quality requirements for the conversion products, UO2 powder, are closely related to the quality of the sintered pellets. An important requirement is the influence of the conversion process and its process parameters on sintered density. The aqueous AUC process is attractive, particularly if UNH is also to be processed. The dry processes are, however, expected to become of increasing importance. Rotating kilns have some favorable features as compared to fluidized beds.