The diagram below shows how uranium oxide is converted and enriched for the production of nuclear energy. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
The diagram illustrates the process of generating nuclear energy from uranium oxide.
Overall, the nuclear fuel generation consists of several steps starting from the mining of uranium ore to disposing of residual fuel.
The first step is the exploration of uranium ore from mines. Then, the mined ore is taken to mills for extracting uranium oxide which is also called as yellow cake. Thereafter, the refined yellowcake is taken to converter facility. Subsequently, uranium oxide is converted into uranium hexafluoride which is sent to an enrichment plant. After the enrichment, the high-enriched uranium rods are bundled together and stored in storage unit. Meanwhile, the depleted uranium is also taken back for re-enrichment. Even after re-enrichment, the low-enriched uranium is remained and it is collected from the plant and undergoes a fuel fabrication process. Once the fuel assemblies are fabricated into uranium dioxide, transport them to the cylindrical shaped commercial reactors for generating energy where the tritium is produced. Ultimately, the spent fuel assemblies are collected from the reactor site.