The fabrication of nuclear fuel

The chronology of fuel product and core management development over the past 25 years in the USA is explained. Nuclear fuel for Westinghouse reactors is made by converting enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6) into uranium dioxide (UO2) powder. The powder is pressed into pellets which are loaded into zircalloy fuel tubes (typically over 14 million pellets in 50,952 rods). The fuel rods are arranged in fuel assemblies which are shipped to the reactor site (typically 193 fuel assemblies are needed for one 1000MWe reactor). Each stage of the fuel fabrication cycle (cladding manufacture, chemical conversion UF6 - UO2, pellet production, fuel rod fabrication, grid assembly, skeleton assembly, fuel assembly) is described, with particular reference to the Westinghouse process and plant. (UK)