All Topics  
Natural uranium

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Natural uranium
 
 
  Topics Natural uranium Topic Home

Natural uranium (NU) refers to refined uranium
Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-gray metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the chemical symbol U and atomic number 92....
 with the same isotopic ratio as found in nature. It contains 0.7 % uranium-235
Uranium-235

Uranium-235 is an Isotopes of uranium that differs from the element's other common isotope, uranium-238, by its ability to cause a rapidly expanding nuclear fission chain reaction, i.e., it is fissile....
, 99.3 % uranium-238
Uranium-238

Uranium-238 , is the most common Isotopes of uranium of uranium found in nature. When hit by a neutron, it becomes uranium-239 , an unstable isotope which radioactive decay into neptunium-239 , which then itself decays, with a half-life of 2.355 days, into plutonium-239 ....
, and a trace of uranium-234
Uranium-234

Uranium-234 is an Isotopes of uranium. In natural uranium and uranium ore, 234U occurs as an indirect decay product of Uranium-238, but it makes up only 0.0055% of the raw uranium because its half-life of just 246,000 years is only about 1/18,000 as long as the half-life of 238U....
 by weight. In terms of the amount of radioactivity, approximately 2.2 % comes from uranium-235, 48.6 % uranium-238, and 49.2 % uranium-234.

Natural uranium can be used to fuel both low- and high-power reactors. Historically, graphite
Graphite

The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Greek language ??afe?? : "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead, as distinguished from the actual metallic element lead....
 moderated reactors and heavy water
Heavy water

Heavy water is water that contains a higher proportion than normal of the isotope deuterium, as deuterium oxide, D2O or ?H2O, or as deuterium protium oxide, HDO or ?H?HO....
 moderated reactors have been fueled with natural uranium in the pure metal (U) or uranium dioxide
Uranium dioxide

Uranium dioxide or uranium oxide , also known as urania or uranic oxide, is an oxide of uranium and a black, radioactive, crystalline powder that naturally occurs in the mineral uraninite....
 (UO2) ceramic
Ceramic

File:Bridge from dental porcelain.jpgFile:Qing vase p1070256.jpgA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetal solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling....
 forms, however experimental fuelings with uranium trioxide
Uranium trioxide

Uranium trioxide , also called uranyl oxide, uranium oxide, and uranic oxide, is the hexavalent oxide of uranium. The solid may be obtained by heating uranyl nitrate to 400 ?C....
 (UO3) and triuranium octaoxide
Triuranium octaoxide

Triuranium octoxide is a compound of uranium. It is present as an olive green to black, odorless solid. In spite of its color, it is one of the more popular forms of yellowcake and is shipped between mills and refineries in this form....
, (U3O8) have shown promise.

The 0.72% U-235 is not sufficient to produce a self-sustaining critical chain reaction
Chain reaction

A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events....
 in light water reactor
Light water reactor

The light water reactor or LWR is a type of thermal reactor, a reactor that uses a neutron moderator to reduce the speed of neutrons to low velocity thermal neutrons....
s or nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion....
s; these applications must use enriched uranium
Enriched uranium

Enriched uranium is a kind of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 has been increased through the process of isotope separation....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Natural uranium'
Start a new discussion about 'Natural uranium'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Natural uranium (NU) refers to refined uranium
Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-gray metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the chemical symbol U and atomic number 92....
 with the same isotopic ratio as found in nature. It contains 0.7 % uranium-235
Uranium-235

Uranium-235 is an Isotopes of uranium that differs from the element's other common isotope, uranium-238, by its ability to cause a rapidly expanding nuclear fission chain reaction, i.e., it is fissile....
, 99.3 % uranium-238
Uranium-238

Uranium-238 , is the most common Isotopes of uranium of uranium found in nature. When hit by a neutron, it becomes uranium-239 , an unstable isotope which radioactive decay into neptunium-239 , which then itself decays, with a half-life of 2.355 days, into plutonium-239 ....
, and a trace of uranium-234
Uranium-234

Uranium-234 is an Isotopes of uranium. In natural uranium and uranium ore, 234U occurs as an indirect decay product of Uranium-238, but it makes up only 0.0055% of the raw uranium because its half-life of just 246,000 years is only about 1/18,000 as long as the half-life of 238U....
 by weight. In terms of the amount of radioactivity, approximately 2.2 % comes from uranium-235, 48.6 % uranium-238, and 49.2 % uranium-234.

Natural uranium can be used to fuel both low- and high-power reactors. Historically, graphite
Graphite

The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Greek language ??afe?? : "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead, as distinguished from the actual metallic element lead....
 moderated reactors and heavy water
Heavy water

Heavy water is water that contains a higher proportion than normal of the isotope deuterium, as deuterium oxide, D2O or ?H2O, or as deuterium protium oxide, HDO or ?H?HO....
 moderated reactors have been fueled with natural uranium in the pure metal (U) or uranium dioxide
Uranium dioxide

Uranium dioxide or uranium oxide , also known as urania or uranic oxide, is an oxide of uranium and a black, radioactive, crystalline powder that naturally occurs in the mineral uraninite....
 (UO2) ceramic
Ceramic

File:Bridge from dental porcelain.jpgFile:Qing vase p1070256.jpgA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetal solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling....
 forms, however experimental fuelings with uranium trioxide
Uranium trioxide

Uranium trioxide , also called uranyl oxide, uranium oxide, and uranic oxide, is the hexavalent oxide of uranium. The solid may be obtained by heating uranyl nitrate to 400 ?C....
 (UO3) and triuranium octaoxide
Triuranium octaoxide

Triuranium octoxide is a compound of uranium. It is present as an olive green to black, odorless solid. In spite of its color, it is one of the more popular forms of yellowcake and is shipped between mills and refineries in this form....
, (U3O8) have shown promise.

The 0.72% U-235 is not sufficient to produce a self-sustaining critical chain reaction
Chain reaction

A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events....
 in light water reactor
Light water reactor

The light water reactor or LWR is a type of thermal reactor, a reactor that uses a neutron moderator to reduce the speed of neutrons to low velocity thermal neutrons....
s or nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion....
s; these applications must use enriched uranium
Enriched uranium

Enriched uranium is a kind of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 has been increased through the process of isotope separation....
. In rare occasions, earlier in geologic history when U-235 was more abundant, uranium ore was found to have naturally engaged in fission, forming natural nuclear fission reactor
Natural nuclear fission reactor

A natural nuclear fission reactor is a uranium mineral deposit where analysis of isotope ratios has shown that self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions have occurred....
s.

During the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project was the project to develop the first atomic weapon during World War II; involving the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada....
, the name tuballoy was used to refer to natural uranium in the refined condition; this term is still in occasional use at present.

See also

  • Depleted uranium
    Depleted uranium

    Depleted uranium is uranium primarily composed of the isotope uranium-238 . Natural uranium is about 99.27 percent U-238, 0.72 percent uranium-235, and 0.0055 percent uranium-234....
  • Enriched uranium
    Enriched uranium

    Enriched uranium is a kind of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 has been increased through the process of isotope separation....
  • Nuclear engineering
    Nuclear engineering

    Nuclear engineering is the application of the breakdown of atomic nucleus and/or other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics....
  • Nuclear fuel cycle
    Nuclear fuel cycle

    The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. It consists of steps in the front end, which are the preparation of the fuel, steps in the service period in which the fuel is used during reactor operation, and steps in the back end, which are ne...
  • Nuclear physics
    Nuclear physics

    Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei.The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power and nuclear weapons, but the research field is also the basis for a far wider range of applications, including in the medical sector , in materials engineering...
  • Nuclear reactor
    Nuclear reactor

    A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a steady rate, as opposed to a nuclear bomb, in which the chain reaction occurs in a fraction of a second and is uncontrolled causing an explosion....
  • Nuclear weapon
    Nuclear weapon

    A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion....
  • Oklo reactor
    Natural nuclear fission reactor

    A natural nuclear fission reactor is a uranium mineral deposit where analysis of isotope ratios has shown that self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions have occurred....
  • List of uranium mines
    List of uranium mines

    Uranium mining is presently carried out in more than 25 countries around the world. An estimated 100 or more uranium mines in different stages of development are reported....


External links