Uranium Mining and Milling
The starting point for material accountancy under INFCIRC/153-type comprehensive safeguards agreements (paragraph 34(c)) with an Additional Protocol envisions a shifting toward earlier in the nuclear fuel cycle than current practice. The design of effective and efficient safeguards requires a more detailed process-level understanding of front-end activities, to include conducting a survey of uranium mining, concentration, and purification processes in commercial use to catalog technological options for producing uranium ore concentrate, also known as yellow cake. Based on this survey, a process flow diagram (PFD) illustrating front-end process options will be created to illustrate pre-34(c) material flows and support the identification of material control points.