A Toshiba and Westinghouse Electric company
Global Credentials
Advance Uranium Asset Management Ltd is the new name for UAM, one of the most trusted global brands in the field of nuclear material supply and transportation.
As a Toshiba and Westinghouse Electric company, UAM boasts impeccable credentials and provides the industry's most comprehensive range of services for the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle, embracing all facets of the uranic supply chain, from material supply and management, to regulatory consultancy and transportation.
Since the formation of UAM in 1996, it has been at the forefront of commercial uranium supply for BNFL and Westinghouse and also for a growing portfolio of international customers. The creation of Advance UAM enables the integration of a range of new products and extended services to complement the existing business and optimise a number of value-enhancing solutions for uranium, nuclear material packaging and transport for the benefit of the company's customers around the world.
Vision and Mission
UAM's vision is to:
Advance and deploy a range of innovative supply solutions for uranium and logistics, within the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle.
UAM's mission is supporting our customers by:
- Offering optimal and value enhancing solutions, tailored to specific requirements
- Becoming an established marketer of long term uranium supplies
- Developing alliances with other suppliers of uranium, conversion and enrichment to offer the best possible supply arrangements
- Continuing to excel in the worldwide transport of radioactive material, to the highest standards of safety, compliance and customer satisfaction
Advance UAM will achieve this by:
- Focusing on the needs of customers and key stakeholders
- Development of the Company's pioneering fuel leasing concept known as Integrated Supply Platform "ISP"
- Delivering safe and compliant radioactive consignments
- Maintaining excellent operations, processes and commercial practices
- Innovating in all aspects of the business
Market Dynamics
UAM is working tirelessly to develop its business in what is considered a renaissance period for the nuclear industry. As part of its programme of self-analysis and improvement it continues to develop innovative solutions to material handling and transport issues to provide enhanced safety and also to deliver exceptional added value service for customers.
In addition, as part of its strategic development of the market, UAM continues to explore investment opportunities within the nuclear fuel cycle.
Uranium Fuel Cycle
The civil front end nuclear fuel cycle is a process of nuclear fuel and energy production, including research activities. The cycle consists of 4 stages:
Mining & Milling
Uranium is a radioactive element that occurs naturally in the earth’s surface. Uranium ores are mined, by either excavation or in situ techniques. At the mill the extracted ore is crushed and ground to a fine slurry which is leached to allow the separation of uranium from the waste rock. It is then precipitated as uranium oxide (U3O8) concentrate (yellowcake).
Conversion
At the conversion facility, the uranium oxide concentrate is refined to uranium dioxide, which can be used as the fuel for those reactors that do not require enriched uranium. Most is then converted into uranium hexafluoride (UF6), ready for the enrichment plant.
Enrichment
U-235 (0.7% of natural uranium) is the isotope which, in most reactors, produces energy by fission. The concentration of this isotope needs to be enriched - typically to 3.5% - 5% U-235. The enrichment process separates gaseous UF6 into two streams, one being enriched to the required level and known as low-enriched uranium; the other is progressively depleted in U-235 and is called ‘tails’, or depleted uranium. The two enrichment processes in large scale commercial use are diffusion and centrifuge.
Fuel Fabrication
Enriched UF6 is transported to a fuel fabrication plant where it is converted to uranium dioxide (UO2) powder and pressed into small pellets and sintered at high temperatures. The pellets are inserted into metal tubes to form fuel rods. The rods are sealed and assembled to form fuel assemblies for use in the core of the nuclear reactor.
