Irradiated nuclear fuel removed from a reactor. Residual actinides coexist with fission products and activation products; radioactivity and decay heat continue after shutdown.
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Spent nuclear fuel, also known as used nuclear fuel, is the material that remains after nuclear fuel has been irradiated in a nuclear reactor. When nuclear fuel—typically composed of enriched uranium or plutonium—is placed in a reactor, it undergoes fission, a process in which the nuclei of atoms split to release energy.