A New Approach to Uranium Chemistry Completing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Abstract

COGEMA has developed a number of chemical plants at the Tricastin site in southern France, capable of converting uranium to a variety of different oxides and by-products. The initial uranium compounds are: depleted uranium hexafluoride from the bottom of the Eurodif enrichment cascade; pure uranyl nitrate from the U/Pu separations in the La Hague reprocessing plant.