Presenter walks Carbon County through the nuclear fuel cycle, from ore to reactor-ready fuel

At the Carbon County workshop, Jeremy Pearson delivered a technical overview of the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle, tracing uranium from ore through yellowcake production, conversion to uranium hexafluoride for centrifuge enrichment, deconversion, and fabrication into ceramic fuel pellets. Pearson explained that natural uranium contains about 0.7% U‑235 and that enrichment typically raises the U‑235 fraction to roughly 5% (and in some cases higher) before fuel is made into pellets placed inside fuel tubes and assemblies.

Pearson identified processing and fabrication nodes in the U.S. and described alternative extraction techniques, including in‑situ leaching. He noted that fuel fabrication uses ceramic forms that withstand high temperatures and that the front end of the cycle involves multiple regulated steps before fuel reaches a reactor. "So that's the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle," he summarized, illustrating the chain from mines to mills, conversion facilities and fuel manufacturers.