Nuclear Fuel Fabrication
From powder to power… How nuclear fuel fabrication produces reactor ready fuel.
What is nuclear fuel fabrication?
Nuclear Fuel Fabrication is the final stage of the front-end of the fuel cycle. In this stage, the uranium metal or uranium dioxide is transformed into its final form – a fuel rod, typically up to four metres long, ready to be used in a nuclear reactor.
The cladding around the fuel rod is really important. It captures highly radioactive fission products! It is important that the material used to form the cladding is relatively transparent to neutrons – to mitigate degradation.
How is nuclear fuel fabrication carried out?
Step 1: Forming
The uranium dioxide (UO2) powder is pressed into pellets – these must be very dense and precisely shaped.
Step 2: Sintering
Step 3: Assembly
Did you know?
Within a fuel fabrication facility, there are careful controls to avoid an unintended criticality incident (like the one which happened in Tokaimura in 1997). The facility will also be inspected by safeguards personnel from the nuclear regulator for accountancy purposes – keeping track of what uranium is where and at what enrichment.
Where does fuel fabrication take place?
Nuclear fuel fabrication facilities are distributed across the globe – particularly within nations where there are a significant number of nuclear power or research reactors. Countries with particularly large nuclear industries, such as the USA, France and China, have multiple fuel fabrication facilities.
What happens in the UK?
What happens in the UK?
Explore Further
Choose from the articles below to continue learning about nuclear.
Enrichment – Because Natural Uranium Just Isn’t Enough
Reactor Fuel – how does nuclear fuel power reactors?
Nuclear Fuel Fabrication – From Powder to Power
Did you know? Explore Nuclear also offers great careers information and learning resources.
Below you can find references to the information and images used on this page.
Content References
- IAEA – Nuclear Fuel Cycle
- NSAN – Graduate Awareness in Nuclear (GAIN) Courses
- US NRC – Stages of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
- World Nuclear Association – Fuel Fabrication
- World Nuclear Association – Nuclear Fuel Cycle Overview
- Westinghouse UK – AGR Fuel
- World Nuclear News – A guide: Uranium and the nuclear fuel cycle
Image References
- Dummy Windscale MK 1 fuel rod, made by BNFL – Science Museum Group – CC BY 4.0
- Magnox fuel cans from Sizewell-A Nuclear Power Station (1968) – Science Museum Group – CC BY 4.0
- Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) fuel pin, about 1958-1982 – Science Museum Group – CC BY 4.0
- Uranium Dioxide Powder, Chemolunatic – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Nuclear Fuel Pellets – US DOE – Public Domain