ABSTRACT
The nuclear fuel cycle is a term that incorporates the descriptions of several interlocking technologies, which have as their main purpose the treatment of nuclear fuel before, during and after the working of a reactor. Without the war, research efforts would probably also have been directed more towards developing nuclear power for peaceful energy purposes. As uranium is the principal fuel required for current nuclear reactors, access to uranium ore is a key factor in any serious nuclear programme. The vast majority of reactors are run on fuel elements that contain both uranium 238 and uranium 235. The most widely used power reactor system today has light water as both moderator and coolant for slightly enriched fuel elements. Uranium ore fresh from the mine contains many impurities, which have to be removed before the ore is fabricated into fuel. Enrichment by gaseous diffusion is the oldest and best-known technique.
