Uranium Fuel Cycle

1

2

Conventional Mining: Underground/Open Pit

Ranger, Australia, Northern Territories

Olympic Dam, South Australia

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ISR: Drilling – Well Construction

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ISR: Minimum Disturbance of Environment

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ISR Plant – Schematic

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ISR Plant – Beverley, South Australia

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Ion Exchange Resins

Beverley Plant – Impressions

IX columns Filtration units

Yellowcake Sampling The product

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BACKUP

General Atomics Proprietary Data10

SiC-SiC Composite Cladding has Potential to Significantly Improve Safety of Light Water Reactors

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

0 1 2

m3

H2

gene

rate

d/m

2ro

d su

rfac

e

reaction time (days)

Zircaloy 100% consumed

SiCβ <1% consumed

1400oC

1100oC

1400oC

1100oC

Zr + 2H2O ZrO2 + 2H2

For Zircaloy, destruction by steam reaction occurs at lower temp than fuel melt

FukushimaDaiichi

Eliminate hydrogen explosions

SiC + 4H2O SiO2 + CO2 + 4H2

For SiC/SiC, structural failure occurs at lower temp than steam reaction

At higher temps (~1400oC) Zircaloy reaction heat exceeds decay heat

General Atomics Proprietary Data

Comparison of EM2 vs Fukushima Plant To Earthquake & Tsunami9.0 magnitude earth quake/tsunami: reactor vessels and containments are intact but all electrical

power is severed

Fukushima

• Without power, cooling systems are inoperable

• Fuel heats up causing high pressure and hydrogen producing reactions from zircalloy clad

• External means of cooling is needed until power to cooling systems is restored

• Reactor cooling by natural convection – no power needed

• Silicon-carbide clad does not react with helium coolant at high temperature

• Walk-away safe – no external intervention needed

air draft heat exchanger

Grade levelEM2

Redundant shutdown cooling

Reactor

Turbine-generator

Leak-tight, below-grade containment

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Fuel Resources for Electric Power Generation in the U.S.A.

Depleted uranium (DU)/Used nuclear fuel (UNF)

inventories

Depleted uranium (DU)/Used nuclear fuel (UNF)

inventories

8 TBbl Depleted Uranium

1 TBbl Used Nuclear Fuel

Energy supplyfor > 300 years electric power generation

Energy supplyfor > 300 years electric power generation

U.S. Energy Reserves(Trillion Bbls Oil Energy

Equivalent)

General Atomics Proprietary Data13

Graphitereflector

BeOreflector

B4C neutron Shield

Core support

floor 316L

StarterConversion

Control drum location

Starter FertileLEU: ~ 12% Low- enriched uranium

DU: Depleted uranium

TRU: Transuranics

UNF: Used nuclear fuel

MOX: Mixed U/Pu oxides

NU: Natural uranium

Recycled EM2 discharge

30% 232Th70% 238U

“Convert & Burn” reactor achieves a 30-year fuel life by converting 238U to 239Pu and burning in situ

General Atomics Proprietary Data

LWR Waste Disposal EM2 Waste Disposal

• Deep geologic repository

• Million year life

• Large storage capacity

• Long term heat

• Long term radioactivity

•Above ground storage

• 400 year life

•Small storage capacity

•Short term heat

•Short term radioactivity

EM2 Changes the Game Relative to Nuclear Waste

0

20

40

60

80

100

LWR EM2

Was

te m

ass,

ton

nes

EM2 vs LWR Wastebased on 5000 GWe/days production

Uranium

Plutonium

Fission Products

3.4

Only 0.1% are long lived fission products

(e.g. Tc-99 and I-129)0

20

40

60

80

100

LWR EM2

Was

te m

ass,

ton

nes

EM2 vs LWR Wastebased on 5000 GWe/days production

Uranium

Plutonium

Fission Products

3.4

Only 0.1% are long lived fission products

(e.g. Tc-99 and I-129)

General Atomics Proprietary Data15

BACKUP 2

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ISR Mining Process

• Groundwater pumped to surface (at start-up)• Small amount of acid and oxidant added• Water pumped back into aquifer• Uranium leached• Water pumped to surface• Uranium recovered by ion exchange (IX)• Water recycled

[up to 100 recycles (pore volume exchanges)]

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Leaching Chemistry

• Uranium ore– Uranium as U(IV) fixed in minerals,

e.g. pitchblende UO2, coffinite USiO4

• Mobilization of uranium by oxidation and complexation– Uranium needs to be oxidized to U(VI) to form soluble

uranyl ions UO22-

• Leaching methods– Alkaline (carbonate) leaching:

UO2(CO3)22- and higher-order complexes

– Acidic (sulfuric acid) leaching: UO2(SO4)2

2- and higher-order complexes– Application of oxidants: O2, H2O2

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Uranium Recovery

• Mining solution contains anionic uranyl complexes like UO2(CO3)2

2- or UO2(SO4)22-

• Recovery from mining solution by ion-exchange (IX)– Resin (in form of beads at 0.5-1 mm diameter)– Resin beds in big columns (about 2-4 m diameter, 3-10 m

height)– Mining fluid passes IX columns and recycles to wellfields– Uranium is adsorbed on the resin

• Strip of uranium from IX resin by highly-ionic solution, e.g. salt solutions (NaCl)

• Further processing includes precipitation of uranium as uranium oxide, thickening, de-watering, drying, packaging

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ISR – Hydrogeology

For ISR mining, ore body must have following properties:– Ore body must be in an aquifer (sedimentary formation)– Aquifer sediments must be permeable– Aquifer should be vertically confined (above and below) by

impermeable layers

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Beverley ISR Mine – Processing Plant