WISE Uranium Project offers a unique choice of 40+ interactive calculators covering a wide range of problems encountered with the nuclear fuel industry:
scientific phenomena:
nuclear: the decay and ingrowth of radionuclides in a decay series, neutron activation, alpha-neutron reactions,
biological: the biokinetics (transport and deposition) of ingested or inhaled uranium inside the human body,
geotechnical: stability of tailings deposits,
material flow, energy consumption, and waste arisings of the various stages of nuclear fuel production, including also "exotic" processes, such as tails re-enrichment, and downblending of highly enriched uranium,
economics of nuclear fuel production, such as feasibility of uranium mines, cost of once-through vs. recycled nuclear fuel, enrichment cost optimization, depleted uranium value realization by re-enrichment,
radiation releases from uranium mine, mill, and tailings sites, and resulting radiation doses for miners and residents.
The complexity of the problems solved varies widely, as well: while some of the calculators just perform calculations that can be done with a pocket calculator (e.g. unit conversion), others deal with problems that usually are solved with spread sheet software (e.g. nuclear fuel material balance), or even expensive commercial software packages (e.g. radiation decay, radiation shielding, biokinetics). In any case, the calculators provide better usability features than many alternatives, and therefore are widely used - even in circles that have access to those expensive commercial software packages... (but, watch the Disclaimer below!)
The calculation procedure and the parameters used, as well as any assumptions and simplifications made are described in the Help file accompanying each calculator.
Features:
Task-specific calculators for each purpose
This concept ensures that you have to deal only with those parameters actually needed for the specific task - so no hassle with unneccessary parameter ballast, but, you have to make sure that you pick the exact calculator that solves your problem. The brief descriptions below will assist you in making the correct choice.
Where applicable, the calculators offer the possibility to produce the required results for any given amount and type of raw material or intermediate product in the nuclear fuel chain: so, it is possible to calculate the results per tonne of ore mined, per tonne of uranium milled, per tonne fresh fuel, or per unit electricity produced in the power plant, for example.
Quick first results
Most of the calculators produce an output already after a simple click on the "Calculate" button, since the parameters are preset to reasonable values.
Note: the results obtained with the initial parameter values are not meant to represent the ultimate solution; they rather just are an example for this specific parameter set.
User-alterable parameters
The impacts of parameter variations can be studied by modifying one or more parameters of interest, followed by a "Calculate"-click. In the same way, generic data can be replaced by site-specific data, where available.
Note: detailed descriptions of the parameters are found in the Help file associated with each calculator.
As the calculators run completely on the client computer, you may store the calculator files on your local disk for offline use (save page as complete Web page).
Note: you should, however, check from time to time whether your local copy is still up to date, as there may have been any errors eliminated or additional features added without notice.
Requirements:
All you need to run the calculators is to load them into your Internet browser window:
JavaScript must be enabled in the browser options:
For viewing the graphical output produced by some of the calculators, Java must be installed on your computer and must be enabled in the browser options:
In case you experience problems with graphical output of a calculator, you can do some tests here.
Note: Make sure to keep your Java installation up to date, as unpatched vulnerabilities may compromise security.
The calculators were tested on Firefox and Internet Explorer. If you experience any problems, please drop a line.
These calculators are for educational purposes only. There is no warranty whatsoever - you are using the calculators at your own risk. Any error corrections and improvements may be carried out without further notice.
Copyright:
The calculators are subject to the general copyright notice of the WISE Uranium Project website.
History:
The first calculator in this series was the Nuclear Fuel Material Balance Calculator, released on 21 March 1999. The series has continuously been enlarged and improved since.
While many of the calculators have been developed from scratch (including the famous Neutron Activation Calculator), some are clones or improved versions of Fortran batch programs that were developed at universities or government agencies in the 1970's and 1980's.
This calculator determines the mass balance of uranium ore sorting, a process performed in some cases to remove low-grade material from mined uranium ore before sending it to a uranium mill for further processing. The results can be used for entry in the Uranium Mine Feasibility Calculator, for example.
This calculator answers questions such as: How much uranium ore has to be mined to supply the fuel for a nuclear power plant? What amounts of wastes are produced at the front end of the nuclear fuel chain? What amount of electricity is consumed during the enrichment process? The calculator covers the Light Water Reactor (BWR and PWR) fuel chain.
This calculator is an enlarged version of the Nuclear Fuel Material Balance Calculator, also allowing for calculation of an energy consumption and CO2 emission balance.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
This calculator is a modified version of the Nuclear Fuel Energy Balance Calculator. It provides a material, energy, and CO2 emission balance for the front end of the nuclear fuel chain, assuming that the uranium feed is generated from re-enrichment of depleted uranium tails.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Calculate production and supply of nuclear fuel, and the lifespan of the world uranium resources.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Calculate activities and radioactive decay of the wastes arising from nuclear fuel production and power plant operation: uranium mine waste rock, uranium mill tailings, depleted uranium, and spent fuel.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Calculate the official and the hidden cost of nuclear fuel: The market price for nuclear fuel does not necessarily include the future waste management costs linked to its production. The hidden costs may reach a multiple of the nominal costs!
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Calculate and compare the material balance and nominal cost of nuclear fuel from enriched natural uranium, re-enriched depleted uranium tails, enriched recycled uranium, recycled plutonium (MOX), and downblended highly enriched uranium (HEU).
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Performs detailed calculations for the enrichment of natural and reprocessed uranium: mass balance, concentrations of minor isotopes, the additional enrichment required to compensate for the presence of the neutron-absorbing isotopes U-234 and/or U-236, cost, and optimum tails assay for minimum fuel cost.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Calculate collective doses and health risks from the production of nuclear fuel. The release of radioactive radon gas from mines, mills, and mill tailings is of major concern.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Typical computations:
t U3O8 GWae
···>
man Sv excess cancers
Nuclear Fuel Processing Calculators
Calculate material and/or cost balance of mining, enrichment or downblending of uranium, and fuel production.
Determine the optimum tails assay, for which the cost of enriched uranium is minimized, based on market prices for uranium and for enrichment work.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Re-enrichment of depleted uranium - a mystery? No longer with this calculator. How much uranium can be recovered? How does this affect the volume of the depleted uranium stockpiles?
Determine the monetary value of depleted uranium tails, here defined as the value that can be realized (in times of high uranium market prices) by re-enrichment to natural-equivalent uranium.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Calculate the material balance for downblending of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) - the process being used to make weapons-grade uranium suitable for use as fuel in nuclear power plants.
Calculate radioactive decay and ingrowth of uranium and its decay products for a variety of nuclide mixes found in the nuclear fuel industry. Covers the natural U-238 and U-235 series, and the artificial U-236 and U-232 series.
This calculator requires Java.
Calculate radioactive decay and ingrowth of decay products for any nuclide mix and decay series, or lookup decay data.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
For another version of the calculator with a different output chart (no stacking), go to Universal Decay Calculator Vers. B.
Calculate and compare activities and radioactive decay of the wastes from nuclear fuel production: uranium mine waste rock, uranium mill tailings, depleted uranium, and spent fuel.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Calculate neutron production in uranium compounds, as caused from alpha-neutron reactions and from spontaneous fission. Particularly of interest for uranium hexafluoride (UF6).
Calculate the depleted uranium fraction in a sample containing a mix of natural and depleted uranium, or the enriched uranium fraction in a sample containing a mix of natural and enriched uranium.
Calculate the health risk for a uranium miner with a known radiation exposure history, and, in case he has contracted cancer, the probability of this cancer being caused by the radiation exposure. Covers lung cancer and a number of other cancers.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
What is the radiation dose for an individual that is exposed to a known amount of uranium and/or its decay products? For a variety of nuclide mixes found in the nuclear fuel industry, this calculator covers ingestion, inhalation, external exposure from contaminated soil, and external exposure from a point source. Calculations can not only be performed for actual exposure situations, but also for future scenarios, taking decay and ingrowth of decay products into account.
Calculate the age-specific radiation dose caused from ingestion or inhalation of a certain amount of uranium. Determine situations where the standard adult is not the receiver of the highest dose.
Calculate the organ-specific radiation dose caused from uptake of a certain amount of uranium. This allows to determine the risk of contracting a certain type of cancer.
Calculate the biokinetic behaviour of uranium in the human body after intakes by inhalation, ingestion, or embedded shrapnel. Determine the uranium excretion in urine associated with a given intake, or, the other way round, estimate a prior intake from a given uranium concentration in urine, for example.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
For another version of this calculator enlarged by compartment for hair, go to Uranium Biokinetics Calculator Vers. B.
Calculate the radiation dose from a shielded gamma source.
Examples for calculations include: Gamma radiation on a bare or covered uranium mill tailings pile, Gamma radiation near transport containers carrying uranium ore, U3O8, UF6, or the like, and Gamma radiation from a depleted uranium penetrator lying on the ground, or buried in the ground.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Calculate the radiation dose and risk for an individual living on soil contaminated from uranium and/or in a home built from such contaminated material (residential exposure scenario). It covers the following pathways: ingestion of soil, inhalation of fugitive dusts, external exposure, ingestion of produce grown in the soil, ingestion of contaminated groundwater, and inhalation of radon.
Calculate individual dose and health risk from inhalation of radon and uranium dust for a person living nearby a uranium mine, mill and associated tailings pile.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Calculate collective doses and health risks from the production of nuclear fuel. The release of radioactive radon gas from mines, mills, and mill tailings is of major concern.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Determine the factor of safety for a soil slope, for example for a tailings dam during seismic loads.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Determine the extent of a flow slide of mill tailings liquefied during an earthquake, and view a computed animation of the flow slide.
Optional graphical output of this calculator uses Java.
Calculate the depleted uranium fraction in a sample containing a mix of natural and depleted uranium, or the enriched uranium fraction in a sample containing a mix of natural and enriched uranium.
extension (available for various browsers).