Hoe is kernenergie ontdekt?
Door zijn ontdekking van de kernsplitsing legde Otto Hahn de basis voor de toepassing van kernenergie. Hij deed zijn onderzoek op basis van de door Henri Becquerel in 1896 ontdekte radioactiviteit van uranium.
In 1934 ontdekte Enrico Fermi, een Italiaanse uitvinder, dat het zware metaal uranium zeer geschikt was om energie mee op te wekken. Een wereldoorlog en wat jaren verder werd in 1956 in Engeland de eerste kerncentrale geopend. Ruim 60 jaar later zitten we nu ongeveer 440 kerncentrales in circa 30 landen actief.
Where is uranium found in Saskatchewan?
Uranium deposits in Saskatchewan are located beneath the Athabasca basin generally on federal crown lands. There are currently four primary operational uranium facilities in Saskatchewan which are Key Lake, McClean Lake, Rabbit Lake and the largest, McArthur River.
What is the highest grade uranium found in Canada?
Canada has the world’s largest deposits of high-grade uranium with grades of up to 20% uranium, which is 100 times greater than the world average. In 2018, Canada produced 6,996 tonnes of uranium, all from mines in northern Saskatchewan.
What is the grade of uranium in uranium mining?
Just for comparison, Priargunsky underground uranium mine in Trans-Baikal region of Russia has approximately 0.15% grade of uranium in resources, while in Saskatchewan the world’s highest-grade and second-biggest Cigar Lake underground uranium mine boasts an average 15% grade of uranium in resources. And this is a mind-blowing 100-times difference.
What is Canadian uranium used for?
Canadian uranium is used to meet the nuclear-fuel requirements of electric utilities in Canada and around the world. In Canada, mining is usually governed by provincial regulations. Uranium production, however, is also under federal jurisdiction.
