![](/assets/images/picto-drapeau-france-3a76576a5d60a512053b4612ab58dae5.png)
1. Fuel cycle
The fuel cycle covers all industrial operations leading from natural uranium ore (U nat ) to nuclear fuel and, after electricity production, spent fuel management operations through to final waste storage. The cycle industry can be broken down into three stages:
the upstream part of the cycle, which deals with unirradiated uranium (natural and enriched);
the core cycle, in which the fuel is used in a reactor for four to five years to generate electricity;
the downstream part of the cycle, which concerns the material irradiated after passing through the reactor (figure 1 ).
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!
Already subscribed? Log in!
![](/assets/images/logo-eti-286623ed91fa802ce039246e516e5852.png)
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
This article is included in
Nuclear engineering
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
Fuel cycle
Bibliography
General books and articles on the fuel cycle
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!
Already subscribed? Log in!
![](/assets/images/logo-eti-286623ed91fa802ce039246e516e5852.png)
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference