Conversion and enrichment services
Conversion services
- are required to convert Natural Uranium Concentrates into Uranium Hexafluoride (UF6), the compound used in the enrichment process (gaseous diffusion or centrifuge);
- the process is mainly based on the conversion of Uranium Oxide (UO2) into Uranium Tetrafluoride (UF4) using Hydrofluoric Acid (HF). UF4 is then transfered into UF6 by adding elemental Fluor;
- are provided by licensed chemical facilities in Canada, England, France, Russia and the USA;
- are measured in kilogram Uran (kgU). The annual world demand amounts to about 60.000.000 kgU.
Enrichment services
- are required to increase the composition of uranium 235 of natural uranium from 0.71 % to about 5 % (which is required for use in nuclear power plants)
- are based either on the difference of the atomic weight (centrifuge technology) or on the difference of the size (diffusion technology)
- are offered by enrichment companies in Germany, United Kingdom, France, Japan, Netherlands, Russia and the USA
- are expressed in so called Separate Work Units (SWU). The worldwide requirement in SWU annually averages about 36,000,000 SWU.
