Sign In | Sign Up | Help | Invite    
Advanced Search Ask A Question Community Recent Changes
My:             Contributions   
Contributors
{for ul in pageInfo.page}
${ul.nickName}
{var al = toBreakWord(ul.adUrl,18)} {if ul.adSentence !=''}${ul.adSentence}
{/if} {if ul.adUrl !=''}${al}
{/if}
 
{/for}
Earn Free Advertising   +   Earn Money By Writing What You Know at WISTEME.COM
Question Discussion History

Edit
    Question ID:   12074         Current Version: 1
Question: Where does the uranium used in the United States come from?
Category: Other
Keywords: United States, come from, source, uranium
Type: where
Rating:(0 ratings)    Views: 251    Discussions: 0   In Watch Lists: 1  

 
    Answer:

The fuel most widely used by nuclear plants for nuclear fission is uranium. In nuclear fission atoms are split apart to form smaller atoms, releasing energy. Nuclear power plants use the heat from nuclear fission to produce electricity.

Uranium Is Found in Nature but Must Be Processed into Fuel 

Uranium is nonrenewable, though it is a common metal found in rocks all over the world. Uranium occurs in nature in combination with small amounts of other elements.

Nuclear plants use a certain kind of uranium, U-235, as fuel because its atoms are easily split apart. Though uranium is quite common, about 100 times more common than silver, U-235 is relatively rare.

Economically recoverable uranium deposits have been discovered principally in the western United States, Australia, Canada, Africa, and South America. Once uranium is mined, the U-235 must be extracted and processed before it can be used as a fuel. Mined uranium ore typically yields one to four pounds of uranium concentrate (U3O8 or "yellowcake") per ton, or 0.05% to 0.20% U3O8. The Nuclear Fuel Cycle describes uranium processing in more detail.

Most of Our Uranium Is Imported

Owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors purchased the equivalent of 53 million pounds of uranium during 2008. Uranium delivered to U.S. reactors in 2008 came from six continents:

  • 14% of delivered uranium came from the United States
  • 86% of delivered uranium was of foreign-origin:
    • 42% was from Australia and Canada
    • 33% originated in Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan
    • 11% came from Brazil, Czech Republic, Namibia, Niger, South Africa, and the United Kingdom

Source: Energy Information Administration

Read more questions from WISTEME through
     Add to MSN Add to My AOL
 Rate this Question
   Add to Groups   Add to Watch Lists   Share Question
                          
 
    More Readings :
[QID:11976]    Where does heating oil come from?  
[QID:3301]    Where do stem cells come from?  
[QID:11865]    Where does the gasoline at the gas station come from?  
[QID:11056]    Where does our household water come from?  
[QID:11145]    Is hydroelectric power an important source of energy for United States?  
[QID:12042]    Where are coals produced in the United States?  
[QID:10326]    How do methamphetamine and amphetamines get to the United States and how much do they cost?  
[QID:11871]    How likely is uranium to cause cancer?  
[QID:12073]    What is the nuclear fuel cycle?  
[QID:11872]    How does uranium affect children?  
     Question ID:  ${question.id}         Current Version:  ${question.version}

{for qh in questionHistory} {if qh.status == 'r'} {else} {/if} {/for}
Version Contributor Date (ET) Voting
${qh.version} ${qh.nickName} ${qh.date} Rejected
${qh.version} ${qh.nickName} ${qh.date} {if qh.status != 'c'} {if qh.status == 'a'} Approved {else} {if qh.rstatus == 'c'} On-going {else} Pending {/if} {/if} {else}   {/if}
Start a New Topic
ID Topics Replies Latest Post (ET)
{if dlist!=null} {for d in dlist} {/for}
${parseInt(d_index)+1} ${d.sentence} ${d.replyNum} ${d.lastestDate}
{else}
No discussion topic.
{/if}
Label Name:
 
Group Name:
 
 
{else}
     You have no group.
{/if}
Advertisements
{if advertisements.length > 0} {else} {/if}
{for ad in advertisements}
${ad.adTitle}
${ad.adSentence}
${ad.adUrl}
{/for}

Home | About Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Browse Questions | RSS Feed

Copyright ©2010 WISTEME LLC. All Rights Reserved.