{"id":27312,"date":"2020-06-13T11:03:50","date_gmt":"2020-06-13T11:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sitepourvtc.com\/?page_id=27312"},"modified":"2023-08-01T10:46:07","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T10:46:07","slug":"uranium-enrichment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sitepourvtc.com\/nuclear-power-plant\/nuclear-fuel\/nuclear-fuel-cycle\/uranium-enrichment\/","title":{"rendered":"Uranium Enrichment"},"content":{"rendered":"
Since natural uranium<\/strong><\/a> contains only 0.71% of fissile isotope 235<\/sup>U and most current power reactors require enriched uranium<\/a>, this natural uranium must be enriched. Only uranium 235 is a fissile material (i.e., it can undergo nuclear fission only after capturing a thermal neutron<\/a><\/strong>). Still, as it only accounts for 0.7% of the makeup of natural uranium, it is not present in sufficient proportions to be used in LWR-type nuclear power plants. The level of enrichment required depends on the specific reactor design (e.g., \u00a0PWRs and BWRs require 3% \u2013 5% of 235U) and specific requirements of the nuclear power plant operator (e.g., cycle length). Without required enrichment, these reactors cannot initiate and sustain a nuclear chain reaction for as long as 12 months (or more).<\/p>\n