1. General information on the nuclear fuel cycle

1.1 Fuel for nuclear reactors

There is a wide variety of nuclear fuels, depending not only on the type of nuclear reactor, but also on its intended use. In this respect, we can distinguish between reactors used solely to generate electricity for public networks and other reactors with more specific applications, such as heat production, the production of isotopes mainly for medical use, naval propulsion, space engines, reactors for various experiments (irradiation, safety and criticality research, neutron measurements, teaching), and the production of materials for military use (plutonium or tritium, for example). In this article, we'll confine ourselves to power reactors, as other reactors often use special fuels in very limited quantities, for which we can't really speak of a...