Fuel description
Manufacture of plutonium fuel for nuclear reactors

PuO₂ powder comes from the irradiated fuel processing plant, where it is packaged in sealed cans, each containing around 3 kg of powder. It is fully characterized in physical, chemical and isotopic terms.

The UO₂ powders most commonly used are wet-processed from depleted uranium U₃O₈ (cf. article Manufacture of plutonium fuel for PWRs and BWRs). Dry-process powders could be used after a granulation step to make them flowable.

Finally, as will be the case in Japan, uranium and plutonium can be coprecipitated...