NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE

The components of the nuclear fuel cycle are organized as follows:

The front end

• Uranium Metallurgy, Conversion to Uranium Hexafluoride, and Fabrication of Fuel Rods
• Uranium Enrichment

The service period

• Nuclear Reactors

The back end

• Reprocessing Spent Fuel
• Nuclear Waste

NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE

The fuel cycle is made up of a series of processes that manufacture reactor fuel, burn the fuel in a reactor to generate electricity, and manage the spent reactor fuel .  These processes are grouped into three components, the front end, which includes all activities prior to placement of the fuel in the reactor, the service period, when the fuel is converted into energy in the reactor, and the back end, which covers all activities dealing with spent fuel from the reactor.  

If the spent fuel is sent to storage, the cycle is referred to as open.  If it is reprocessed to recover useful components, it is known as closed.  

The United States employs an open fuel cycle, while France, Russia, China, and Japan reprocess their spent fuel.