Syllabus Coverage: NFC1.1, NFC1.2
Key Points
- The fuel cycle is divided into the front end (before irradiation in a reactor) and the back end (after irradiation).
- The front end includes: mining, milling, conversion, enrichment, and fuel fabrication.
- The back end includes: interim storage, transport, and either direct disposal or reprocessing/recycling.
- An alternative cycle based on thorium exists but has not been widely adopted.