Refining and conversion processes
Refining and conversion of uranium concentrates

The conversion operation is an essential link in the nuclear fuel production chain. It consists in bringing uranium to the purity and chemical form required for the downstream processing stages, i.e. enrichment and preparation of the fuel pellets used in the light-water nuclear reactors used to generate electricity.

Uranium concentrates are the raw material for conversion. They are prepared in uranium ore processing plants located near uranium deposits on various continents. Ore processing leads to the preparation of a uranium concentrate in various chemical forms.

The most widely used at present is sesquioxide U₃O₈, which has the advantages of being chemically stable, containing a high percentage of uranium and being very dense, making transport...