POWER September 2013 - 61

Nuclear Fuel
GE brought in its Japanese nuclear partner
Hitachi in 2007 and formed GLE, and in 2008
it added Cameco Corp., one of the world's
largest uranium producers. GLE is currently
funded by these three parent companies-GE
(51% ownership), Hitachi (25%), and Cameco
(24%)-through the second phase of the
program, which aims to establish engineering
and economic validation for a full-scale
production plant. GE control of GLE ensures
that only Governing Board members who are
U.S. citizens with appropriate U.S. government
clearances have access to, or exercise
control over, activities affecting the protection
of the project's classified information.
GLE submitted its license application on
June 26, 2009. The NRC staff conducted
thorough safety and environmental reviews
of the proposed facility. A safety evaluation
report (SER) and final environmental impact
statement (EIS) were published in February
2012. The SER documented the staff's
conclusions that GLE's proposed facility in
Wilmington, N.C., complies with NRC regulations
and would not pose an undue risk to
the health and safety of workers or the public.
The EIS concluded there would be no
significant environmental impacts that would
preclude licensing the facility.
The NRC's review of the GLE license application
provided several opportunities for
public comment and participation, including
public meetings in Wilmington in July 2008.
A notice of opportunity to request an adjudicatory
hearing was published Jan. 13, 2010;
however, no hearing requests were received.
Under NRC regulations, the Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board conducted a mandatory
hearing on the staff's review in July 2012,
and the Board issued its decision on Sept. 19
authorizing NRC staff to issue the license.
The SILEX Process
Natural uranium ore consists of 99.3% U-238,
0.72% U-235, and trace amounts of U-234
(0.0055%). In order to be used as nuclear fuel
in the U.S., U-235 must be increased to 3%
to 5% by weight. Enrichment increases the
percentage of the naturally occurring and fissile
U-235 and decreases the percentage of
U-238. The SILEX process consists of four
major processing steps and two enrichment
support systems to enrich the natural UF6 up
to 8% in U-235.
The major enrichment processing steps
take place in the following areas:
■ UF6 Feed and Vaporization Area: receives
feed cylinders containing UF6
in solid form. The Vaporization Area
converts the solid form UF6 into a gas
and flows the vaporized UF6 to the feed
header, from the Vaporization Area to
September 2013 | POWER
the Cascade/Gas Handling Area within
the Operations Building. The UF6 feed
rates to the feed header would be maintained
within design basis temperature
and pressure ranges. The UF6 is now
in a gaseous form. Some stubborn UF6
material may remain within the feed
cylinders in a formation called a " heel. "
Heel removal usually requires applying
a vacuum for the UF6 to volatize for removal
and processing.
■ Cascade/Gas Handling Area: where the
laser-based enrichment process occurs.
The process utilizes lasers tuned to specific
frequencies to selectively excite
the U-235 feed portion of the UF6 gas
molecules, enabling a type of magnetic
separation of the U-235 atom from the
UF6 feed stock. The result is two trains
of materials: the enriched UF6 (product)
and depleted UF6 (tails). The enriched
stream is subjected to multiple cycles,
called a cascade process, until it reaches
the desired enrichment level, where it
is collected in the Product Withdrawal
Area. The depleted stream is sent to and
collected in the Tails Withdrawal Area.
The feed, product, and tails streams are
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The Path Forward
GLE is taking a three-phase approach to
commercializing the SILEX laser enrichment
technology:
■ Phase I-Test loop technology demonstration
and NRC commercial plant
license approval: Completed
■ Phase II-Economic and engineering
validation for the initial commercial
production module: Commenced in
2012
■ Phase III-Construction of the first
full-scale commercial production facility:
Has not started
Subject to the outcome of Phase II and
securing sufficient conditional customer
commitments, GLE plans to make a decision
regarding deployment of the technology
and the construction of the first
full-scale commercial production facility.
abt. power feb 13:Layout 1 5/31/13 3:56 PM Page 1
all in the form of gaseous UF6. The product
stream is recovered and stored, in a
solid form, in cylinders that meet U.S.
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