Editing Nuclear fuel cycle (section)

{{Short description|Process of manufacturing and using nuclear fuel}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
[[File:The Nuclear Fuel Cycle (44021369082) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The [[nuclear fuel]] cycles describes how nuclear fuel is extracted, processed, used, and disposed of]]
The '''nuclear fuel cycle''', also known as the '''nuclear fuel chain''', describes the series of stages that [[nuclear fuel]] undergoes during its production, use, and recycling or disposal. It consists of steps in the ''front end'', which are the preparation of the fuel, steps in the ''service period'' in which the fuel is used during reactor operation, and steps in the ''back end'', which are necessary to safely manage, contain, and either [[nuclear reprocessing|reprocess]] or dispose of [[used nuclear fuel|spent nuclear fuel]]. If spent fuel is not reprocessed, the fuel cycle is referred to as an ''open fuel cycle'' (or a ''once-through fuel cycle''); if the spent fuel is reprocessed, it is referred to as a ''closed fuel cycle''.

{{TOCLimit}}