2. The Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Uranium Mining and Milling: Uranium mining and milling results in the production of uranium oxide, commonly known as “yellowcake”. Apart from commercial operations at the research reactor at Lucas Heights, uranium mining/milling is the only commercial-scale part of the nuclear fuel cycle operating in Australia.

Conversion: The conversion of uranium oxide to uranium hexafluoride gas (UF6).

Enrichment: The enrichment process increases the proportion of Uranium-235 in the UF6 gas. U-235 is fissile, meaning that the nucleus of the U-235 atom is easily split when bombarded with neutrons. The splitting of the atom produces large amounts of energy. ‘Low enriched uranium’ can be used in nuclear power plants and ‘highly enriched uranium’ can be used in nuclear weapons. The enrichment process produces two streams: enriched uranium and depleted uranium (DU).

Fuel Fabrication: The enriched uranium is sent to a fuel fabrication plant where it is changed into a uranium dioxide powder and compacted into small pellets. These pellets are put into metal tubes, forming fuel rods. The fuel rods are put together to form a fuel assembly.

Nuclear Power Plants: The fuel assemblies are inserted into the core of the nuclear power reactor. The chain reaction that occurs inside the reactor releases vast amounts of energy. The energy is used to heat water which produces steam. The steam turns the turbines which generate electricity.

After the fuel assemblies are removed from the reactor, they are placed in a cooling pond on site. From this point, the nuclear fuel 'cycle' can become a 'once through' cycle (indefinite storage) or it can go down the reprocessing path:

Storage: Storage is generally regarded as an interim measure. Some countries, such as the US, store spent nuclear fuel on site at nuclear power plants, usually in cooling ponds.

Disposal: Disposal is generally regarded as a long-term (ie permanent) measure. No country in the world has developed a long-term disposal facility for high level nuclear waste from power plants.

Reprocessing: This is the most dangerous and polluting part of the nuclear fuel cycle. Reprocessing does two things: (1) it recovers the unused U-235 in the spent fuel, which is then sent back into the fuel cycle again, from conversion, to enrichment, to fabrication to a nuclear power plant; (2) it also recovers plutonium - arguably the most toxic substance created by man - from the spent fuel, which can be used in nuclear weapons or used in mixed oxide fuel (MOX fuel) to power fast breeder reactors (FBRs). FBRs have failed due to their enormous technical complexity and economic unviability. After reprocessing, a range of highly dangerous long-lived fissile materials remain, meaning that reprocessing doesn't get rid of the need for long-lived nuclear waste disposal.

All of the above elements of the nuclear fuel cycle were addressed in the Prime Minister’s Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Review (UMPNER). The final report was released by the PM on 29 December 2006.