Uranium enrichment is getting underway this week at a facility in southern Ohio, a federally authorized demonstration project considered critical to produce the type of fuel needed for newer, more efficient nuclear reactors.
Bethesda, Maryland-based Centrus Energy Corp. will be producing the high-assay, low-enriched uranium at the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, about 68 miles (109 kilometers) south of Columbus. That form of uranium contains far more of the isotope U-235 than is typically found in current nuclear reactor fuel.
LET’S GOOOOOO!
Yeah, more highly enriched uranium is just what the world needs right now. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
This is not HEU. HEU can be used to make weapons. This is to make HALEU (high-assay low enriched uranium) which is a legal designation up to 20% enrichment in U-235. Yes, we absolutely need more HALEU in the world right now to generate more clean electricity from nuclear energy to combat climate change. Many advanced reactor designs rely on HALEU.
why not just use existing thorium salt tech?
Because 1) Thorium hasn’t been demonstrated in any effective way, 2) the vast majority of advanced reactor designs rely on U-235 for their neutronics, 3) thorium produces U-233 which is always contaminated with U-232 and is hot as hell and hard to work with, 4) we haven’t licensed a thorium cycle design and that’s wildly expensive, and makes no economic sense when we can separate U economically… Should I go on? Thorium is really only of interest for countries without U deposits and/or access to U.
- Because “existing” thorium salt tech is even more experimental than the designs various companies are working on.
- Because HALEU fuel is intended for (a) reactors with higher power densities which is antithetical to breeder reactors and (b) reactors with longer cycles which is antithetical to salt coolant.
- Because Th-232 is a fertile isotope, not fissile, so it doesn’t actually help you run a reactor until you have already been running for a few years (i.e. you’re gonna need uranium fuel to start your thorium cycle).
