That bit in the last release "Window of opportunity for GLE in early 2020’s as markets begin recovery" is true it will take until 2020 before both Paducah and Wilmington plants are completed, Wilmington without Paducah will not work, or at least GLE will have to purchase UF6 in the market, it is totally necessary for recycling and that is what is happening at Wilmington and that is why it has taken so long.
I believe Silex may have been and perhaps still is, this could have added to the time they have taken? working on control of minor uranium isotopes (such as 232U, 234U and 236U) in the final processed RepU product.
RepU can be used in different routes for energy generation (as shown in Fig. 1) . First, it can be used directly, meaning without re-enriching it (CANDU Reactor). Second, it can be used after increasing its 235U content by a physical re-enrichment process such as centrifugation ( laser enrichment) or by blending it with low enriched uranium (LEU) (e.g. 14-17% 235U) or HEU. Third, it can be used after blending it with LEU (below 5% 235U) or natural uranium (NU)1.
A fourth possibility is to use it by some combination of the above processes to meet the fuel specification requirements for given reactors.
The genesis for different routes of re-enrichment could be linked to the consideration of the control of minor uranium isotopes (such as 232U, 234U and 236U) in the final processed RepU product.
The reactors could be light water reactors (LWRs), heavy water reactors (HWRs), advanced gas cooled reactors (AGRs), light water-cooled, graphite-moderated reactors (RBMKs) and fast reactors (FRs).
In the end it may mean that GLE aren't just going to produce some LEU for reactors in the US they could end up producing all of it and also some for other countries?
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