A 10 cm by 8 cm by 2.3 cm thick acrylic block produced by Canadian General Electric to illustrate the process used in producing the cylindrical fuel pellets used in fuel elements in CANDU reactors. The process begins with uranium ore which is converted to yellowcake and supplied to a refinery where it is processed to generate the uranium dioxide pellets used in the fuel elements. The energy released in a reactor from one uranium pellet is equal to the energy that can be obtained by burning 320 kg of coal. Typical fuel pellets in a CANDU are just under 1 cm in diameter and 1 cm long.
