What is the Uranium Fuel Cycle?
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (6608J)
KJ2-F-12-003 I September 201:
Milling of
Uranium Ore
Uranium is extracted
from ore with strong
acids or bases. The
uranium is concentrated
in a solid substance
called "yellowcake."
Chemical
Conversion
Plants convert the
uranium in yellowcake
to uranium hexafluoride
(UF6), a compound
that can be made into
nuclear fuel.
Enrichment
Processing facilities
concentrate uranium235-
the form (isotope) that is
capable of undergoing a
nuclear reaction.
Reprocessing
Reprocessing is the initial
separation of spent nuclear fuel
into its constituent parts.
Reprocessing is currently not
taking place in the U.S.
.•••••••••••••••••I
Repository
Spent Nuclear Fuel
Used or "spent" nuclear
fuel is stored in pools, or
in specially designed dry
storage casks.
Generation of
Electricity at Nuclear
Power Plants
Electricity is generated by
nuclear power plants with
reactors that use water for
moderating nuclear reactions
and cooling.
• Dotted lines show
processes that a re
not currently taking
place in the U.S.
Fabrication of Fuel
The enriched uranium is converted
into fuel pellets and placed into rods
for use in nuclear power plants.
EPA's "Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for
Nuclear Power Operations" limit the radiation releases
and doses to the public from the normal operation of
uranium fuel facilities, including nuclear power plants.
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What is the Uranium Fuel Cycle?
The Uranium Fuel Cycle:
Environmental
Considerations
Air—Tiny amounts of radioactive elements, such as
argon, krypton, xenon, iodine and tritium (a radioactive
form of hydrogen) get into the air during the normal
operations of nuclear power plants.
Water—Wastewater discharges can contain tiny
amounts of radioactive hydrogen (tritium) and other
radioactive constituents. Facility wastewater permits
set strict limits on how much radioactivity can be
discharged to water.
Radioactive Wastes—Wastes managed for their
radioactive content.
Spent Nuclear Fuels—Fuel that has been withdrawn
from a nuclear reactor following irradiation, the
constituent elements of which have not been
separated by reprocessing.
EPA and Nuclear
Power Operations
EPA's mission is to protect human health and the
environment. EPA sets limits on the amount of
radiation that can be released into the environment.
EPA does not regulate the daily operations of
nuclear power plants or nuclear fuel facilities.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
has regulatory responsibility for licensing and
oversight of commercial nuclear power facilities,
and implements EPA's environmental standards at
applicable facilities.
Environmental Radiation Protection
Standards for Nuclear Power Operations
Federal Register Reference—42 FR
2860, Vol. 42, No. 9, January 13,1977
For more information, visit our website at:
www.epa.gov/radiation/laws/l 90
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
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