Text Version of the Uranium Fuel Cycle graphic
This is a flow chart from mining to conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication and storage.
- It starts when Uranium ore is mined
- Uranium ore is then milled into yellowcake
- Yellowcake is turned into UO2 and then a gas, UF6
- Gas is enriched to increase the amount of U-235
- Enriched UF6 is converted back to UO2 and made into ceramic fuel pellets
- Pellets are put into fuel rods and used to make electricity
- Used fuel is stored at the power plant site
- In the future the used fuel may be reprocessed or stored in an underground repository.