ConverDyn

The company is the sole marketing agent of UF6 produced at the Honeywell Uranium Hexafluoride Processing Facility in Metropolis, Illinois.

[3] ConverDyn was formed as a general partnership between the two companies as the sole marketing organization of uranium hexafluoride produced at the Metropolis plant.

[5] The dry fluoride volatility conversion process at Metropolis works goes through five basic steps: feed preparation, reduction, hydrofluorination, fluorination, and distillation.

[6] The aim of this initial step it to ensure that uranium concentrates have the optimum particle size and density necessary to move forward in the process of conversion.

Although initial inspections confirmed that the Metropolis Works Facility was in full compliance with its operating license, the NRC shutdown the plant in May 2012 and required a series of upgrades to improve resilience to natural disasters including earthquakes and tornadoes.

Honeywell elected to complete required upgrades and the plant restarted production of uranium hexafluoride in July 2013, after more than a year offline.

Nuclear fuel cycle begins when uranium is mined, converted , enriched and manufactured to nuclear fuel (1) which is delivered to a nuclear power plant . After usage in the power plant the spent fuel is delivered to a reprocessing plant (if fuel is recycled) (2) or to a final repository (if no recycling is done) (3) for geological disposition. In reprocessing 95% of spent fuel can be recycled to be returned to usage in a nuclear power plant (4).
Uranium ore concentrate storage at the Metropolis Works Facility
Honeywell Metropolis Works Facility in Metropolis, Illinois
Photo of Feed Materials Building at Honeywell Metropolis Works
Cylinder used to transport uranium hexafluoride
Moving UF6 Cylinder at Honeywell Metropolis Works