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Wondering about the MODERN path of the uranium through the US nuclear fuel cycle
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Redditors !!

I am often in awe of the technical prowess lurking in this sub.. So now I have a challenging query to those who might have work experience or extremely well-known knowledge on the subject or uranium from mining up to the point it is fissioned.

My big question is really having to do with front-end fuel cycle PROCESS and AMOUNTS specifically of the ORE (mining) > YELLOW CAKE U3O8 (conversion) > UF6 Hex (enrichment) > to OXIDE PELLETS (fabrication of fuel rods) Perhaps I am missing a state of the nuclear fuel? But I don't think so.. I also am not interested in the spent fuel phase, for now.. Now to the Question(s)!!!

Question one: Roughly (ball-park estimates based on modern US nuclear fuel cycle operation) How much uranium ORE does it take to create 193 fuel assemblies (18 million pellets) or one full 1100MW PWR Core ??? -OBVIOUSLY this is a complex yet enticing question because, from the point of interest in the american civil reactor fleet, I am interested how much in 2015/16 a modern PWReactor requires for a single core load in raw uranium - but someone has to have a birds eye view of how much ORE goes into the conversion plant (Presumably Honeywell International in Illinois unless it is contracted out to a foreign owner - which is question number two)

Then one would have to know how much YELLOW CAKE (U3O8) You get per amount of ORE (Again I am wondering about modern efficiency, current decade at least) Then how much HEX (UF6) you get per amount of YELLOW CAKE (U3O8)??

Finally How much URANIUM OXIDE PELLETS (UO2) can be fabricated per amount of HEX (UF6) ??

PHEWWWW!!!!

----OR---- To put it this way:

(X)U-ore = (X)U3O8 = (X)UF6 = (X)UO2 What is (x) ???

Someone who truly knows the nuclear fuel cycle has to know what the answer to this formula is, No??

Games a fooot !!!! Thanks Redditors <3 <3 <3

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