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Uranium Conversion – Uranium Hexafluoride – UF6

Uranium conversion is one of the processes of nuclear fuel cycles, in which uranium is chemically purified and converted into the chemical form of uranium hexafluoride (UF6), the input stock for most commercial uranium enrichment facilities. Uranium hexafluoride, also known as “hex,” is a chemical compound used in the process of enriching uranium, which produces fuel for nuclear reactors.

Most commercial uranium enrichment processes (gaseous diffusion and the gas centrifuge method) require the uranium to be in a gaseous form. Therefore, the uranium oxide concentrate must first be converted to uranium hexafluoride, a gas at relatively low temperatures. At atmospheric pressure, uranium hexafluoride sublimes at 56.5 °C. At this cycle stage, the uranium hexafluoride conversion product still has the natural isotopic mix, i.e., it contains only 0.71% of fissile isotope 235U. In the enrichment process, gaseous uranium hexafluoride is separated into two streams, one being enriched to the required level and known as low-enriched uranium; the other stream is progressively depleted in uranium-235 and is called ‘tails.’ For lower temperatures, uranium hexafluoride forms solid grey crystals at standard temperature and pressure, is highly toxic, reacts with water, and is corrosive to most metals. For transportation, it will be put in a special container and then carried to the enrichment plant.

As a waste product, uranium enrichment produces large quantities of depleted uranium hexafluoride or DUF6. The long-term storage of DUF6 presents environmental, health, and safety risks because of its chemical instability.

References:
Nuclear and Reactor Physics:
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      8. U.S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Physics and Reactor Theory. DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Volume 1 and 2. January 1993.

Advanced Reactor Physics:

      1. K. O. Ott, W. A. Bezella, Introductory Nuclear Reactor Statics, American Nuclear Society, Revised edition (1989), 1989, ISBN: 0-894-48033-2.
      2. K. O. Ott, R. J. Neuhold, Introductory Nuclear Reactor Dynamics, American Nuclear Society, 1985, ISBN: 0-894-48029-4.
      3. D. L. Hetrick, Dynamics of Nuclear Reactors, American Nuclear Society, 1993, ISBN: 0-894-48453-2. 
      4. E. E. Lewis, W. F. Miller, Computational Methods of Neutron Transport, American Nuclear Society, 1993, ISBN: 0-894-48452-4.

See above:

Nuclear Fuel Cycle