Future Needs for Advanced Reactor Concepts: Requirements for LEU at Greater than 5% Enrichment, a Y-12 Perspective

The current domestic infrastructure for enriched uranium in the power production industry is based on a 5% maximum enrichment in the uranium -235 isotope. With respect to national security interests, however, all uranium containing less than 20% U-235 is considered low enriched uranium (LEU) and is of much lower security concern than material above 20% enrichment, highly enriched uranium (HEU). A gap in material supply now exists between the 5% and 20% enrichments. This enrichment range is also an area of interest for several government and private entities that desire to introduce new reactor concepts to the market which would use greater than 5% enriched LEU. In the short term, the only way to meet requests for uranium in this range is through the downblending of HEU excessed from national defense programs. HEU has not been produced in the United States in several decades, and thus a continued supply of greater than 5% enriched LEU cannot be maintained indefinitely through the downblending of HEU. This presentation will examine the potential greater than 5% LEU needs of the uranium marketplace, describe the outlook and potential opportunities for this gap area.