Uranium enrichment is getting underway this week at a facility in southern Ohio, a federally authorized demonstration project considered critical to produce the type of fuel needed for newer, more efficient nuclear reactors.
Bethesda, Maryland-based Centrus Energy Corp. will be producing the high-assay, low-enriched uranium at the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, about 68 miles (109 kilometers) south of Columbus. That form of uranium contains far more of the isotope U-235 than is typically found in current nuclear reactor fuel.
5 Comments
CherenkovBlue@iusearchlinux.fyi · 6 pts · 2y
LET'S GOOOOOO!
Diplomjodler@feddit.de · -4 pts · 2y
Yeah, more highly enriched uranium is just what the world needs right now. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
CherenkovBlue@iusearchlinux.fyi · 7 pts · 2y
This is not HEU. HEU can be used to make weapons. This is to make HALEU (high-assay low enriched uranium) which is a legal designation up to 20% enrichment in U-235. Yes, we absolutely need more HALEU in the world right now to generate more clean electricity from nuclear energy to combat climate change. Many advanced reactor designs rely on HALEU.
tallwookie@lemm.ee · -4 pts · 2y
CherenkovBlue@iusearchlinux.fyi · 10 pts · 2y
Because 1) Thorium hasn't been demonstrated in any effective way, 2) the vast majority of advanced reactor designs rely on U-235 for their neutronics, 3) thorium produces U-233 which is always contaminated with U-232 and is hot as hell and hard to work with, 4) we haven't licensed a thorium cycle design and that's wildly expensive, and makes no economic sense when we can separate U economically... Should I go on? Thorium is really only of interest for countries without U deposits and/or access to U.
innrautha@kbin.social · 8 pts · 2y