The World Nuclear Association has today released a new white paper, "Building a Stronger Tomorrow: Nuclear Power for a Post-Pa...
ASX-listed Lotus Resources has reduced the care-and-maintenance cost at its recently acquired Kayelekera Uranium Project, in Malaw...
Foratom says it "remains concerned" that the European Commission is paying "insufficient attention" to low-carbon,...
ASX-listed Deep Yellow has reported that the latest drilling results from its Nova JV point to what could be the addition of anoth...
David Nicholls, chairperson of the Nuclear Energy Corp. of South Africa, says South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources and E...
Uranium Primer - Uranium as Nuclear Fuel
Uranium in its naturally occurring form consists primarily of two “isotopes” with the same chemical characteristics, but different atomic weights due to the differing number of neutrons in their nuclei. Both isotopes have 92 protons in their nuclei (and, thus, the same chemical characteristics), but the lighter isotope (atomic weight of 235) has 143 neutrons and the heavier isotope has 146 neutrons. The lighter isotope, U-235, comprises only 0.7% of natural uranium, but it is the only isotope that can actually undergo fission and, thus, produce energy. The other isotope, U-238, comprises the remaining 99.3% of natural uranium. In order to be useful as fuel in the most prevalent nuclear power technologies, the percentage of U-235 must be increased to the level of 2-5% U-235, a process called “enrichment.” Enrichment is a technically difficult process, the essence of which is highly secret because it is the same process used to produce some nuclear weapons material. (Nuclear weapons can be made from uranium of approximately 90% U-235.)
