Energy Encyclopedia

U

Uranium

Nuclear Energy

Heavy element used as nuclear fuel.

Uranium is a naturally occurring actinide. Natural uranium is mostly uranium-238 with about 0.7 percent uranium-235.

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Articles

Fuel Production

Uranium ore is turned into U3O8 (yellowcake) or UF6 (hex), enriched up to 3—5% of 235U, and as a UO2 compressed into pellets inserted into zircalloy tubes.

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Glossary

E

Enrichment

Increasing the fraction of uranium-235.

I

Isotope

Atoms of an element with different neutron numbers.