The work of enrichment

摘要

By the time natural uranium (less than 1 percent U-235) is enriched to near 5 percent U-235 to fuel today's LWRs, about 80 percent of the separative work units required to enrich that uranium to 19.75 percent-the maximum high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) level-has already been completed. This graph was presented at a meeting of the National Academies' Committee on Merits and Viability of Advanced Reactor Fuel Cycles by Idaho National Laboratory's Monica Regalbuto in September 2021. Turn to page 42 for an interview with Regalbuto and more on HALEU production and economics.