When the proper temperature is reached, the system is evacuated by a vacuum pump. The molds are then submerged into the melt, the unit is pressurized, and the molten fuel is injected into the evacuated molds. This takes less than a second. This process is simpler and more direct than that used to produce fuel for the current operation of commercial reactors. This one-step fabrication process has many advantages.
Yields are high.
Recycle material is easily used in subsequent castings. The cost is low because the process is simple, straightforward, and flexible. After casting, the quartz molds containing the solidified fuel slugs are removed from the furnace for processing. The slugs are demolded and mechanically sheared to length. Next, they are sampled for chemical analysis, measured, and weighed.