Sources of Uranium - doe-hdbk-1113-98_reaffirm_2005

DOE-HDBK-1113-98

Module 102 The Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Lesson Plan

Instructor's Notes

Sources of Uranium

Show OT-14

Uranium is found in the earth's crust and is mined as ore.

The average concentration is 2 parts per million (ppm) in Show OT-15

the crust and less than 2 parts per billion (ppb) in the

oceans. During the 1960's and 1970's, a program titled the

Natural Uranium Resource Exploration was funded by the

government to identify the locations of desirable uranium

ore throughout the United States. It was determined that

the most desirable locations of uranium are in the

Colorado Plateau, the Wyoming Basin, and the flanks of

the Black Hills in South Dakota. In those locations, the

uranium concentration is much higher than 2 ppm.

Uranium is also found on the African Continent. The ore

is removed from either shallow open pits (less than 300-

foot, or100 m, depths) or underground mines (greater than

300-foot depths). The typical uranium content of the ore

is 0.15 - 0.3 percent and is in the form of U3O8, which is

called "yellowcake." Uranium is also found in secondary

minerals in the following forms: complex oxides,

silicates, phosphates, and vanadates.

Show OT-16

Uranium Operations and Processes

Discuss the use of uranium

Uranium processing is dependent upon the desired

product, but it generally involves the following cycle:

your site as it is described

in this section of the lesson

mining and milling,

plan.

conversion,

enrichment,

fabrication,

use,

waste disposal/storage, and

decontamination and decommissioning.