The purpose of this module is to provide a basic overview of the nuclear fuel cycle. Revising these limits impacts a large portion of the nuclear fuel cycle as well as the licensing bases for both plant operators and fuel suppliers. The nea data bank provides nuclear data and computer program services for participating countries. This publication reports the results of an evaluation of nuclear energy systems based on a closed nuclear fuel cycle with fast reactors cnfcfr.
In response to concern that reprocessing contributed to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, president carter terminated federal support for commercial reprocessing. Copyright 2011 massachusetts institute of technology. Nuclear energy provides an authoritative reference on all aspects of the nuclear industry from fundamental reactor physics calculations to reactor design, nuclear fuel resources, nuclear fuel cycle, radiation detection and protection, and nuclear power economics. In the united states, commercial light water reactors generate electricity using low. Exploration, mining, production, supply and demand, economics and environmental issues uram2014. Mining and milling is the process of removing uranium ore from the earth. The frontend of the nuclear fuel cycle has four stages.
The current world market provides a considerable degree of security of supply, and has never to date failed to ensure continued operation of nuclear energy generation worldwide. Aug 27, 2019 adapting export controls on nuclear technology and information transfer to the challenges of cyberspace. The economics of the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle en oecd. The economics of the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle nuclear energy agency the feasibility and costs of spent nuclear fuel management and the consequent disposal of ultimate waste continue to be the subject of public debate in many countries, with particular concern often expressed over the lack of progress in implementing final disposal. Pdf an economic analysis has been performed to compare four nuclear fuel cycle options. Utilization of used nuclear fuel in a potential future us. Seong bae kim and han gyu joo seoul national university, 1 gwanakro, gwanakgu, seoul, 151744, korea corresponding author. An introductory text for broad areas of nuclear reactor physics nuclear reactor physics and engineering offers information on analysis, design, control, and operation of nuclear reactors. The frontend of the nuclear fuel cycle considers the portion of the nuclear fuel cycle leading up to electrical power production in a nuclear reactor. Lecture notes managing nuclear technology nuclear science. The economy of fusion power plants will be an important factor in the development of fusion energy. Nuclear fuel recycling, the value of the separated. Pdf text, and contains approximately 400 reference citations. Section three gives a description of the nuclear reactors that are currently operating both in the u.
Their report, the economics of the nuclear fuel cycle oecdnea, 1993, concluded that the levelized fuel cost for the oncethrough lwr fuel cycle is approximately 14% less than for the reprocessing cycle. In this paper, the methodology would produce separate levelized economic nuclear fuel costs which could be used to determine the economical fuel cycle options. This international symposium on uranium raw material for the nuclear fuel cycle. Provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental concepts of nuclear reactor physics and engineering contains information on nuclear reactor kinetics and. Comparison of nuclear fuel cycle economics under current.
This comparison was made to suggest an economic competitive fuel cycle for the republic of korea. The operations associated with the nuclear fuel cycle and the management of the corresponding waste typically extend over a period of between 50 to 100 years, from mining the uranium ore to finally disposing of the high level waste. Ifba fuel pellet has revolutionized pwr nuclear reactor fuel management loading patterns and has enabled highly improved fuel cycle economics. Integral fuel burnable absorber ifba fuel cycles and. The nuclear fuel cycle refers to all activities that occur in the production of nuclear energy. Oecd ilibrary the economics of the back end of the nuclear. Sustainability features of nuclear fuel cycle options. The nuclear fuel cycle starts with the mining of uranium and ends with the disposal of nuclear waste. Nuclear fuel cycle primer 101 appendix to chapter 2. Also covered are the principles of fuel cycle economics and the applied reactor physics of.
Cafca has been the object of an extensive benchmarking exercise together with other state of the art nuclear fuel cycle analysis codes 11. The nuclear fuel cycle the nuclear fuel cycle the nuclear fuel cycle consists of sequence of steps in which u ore is mined, milled, enriched, and fabricated into nuclear fuel and then irradiated in a reactor for several years. The nuclear fuel cycle model built in cafca includes nonlinear connections, feedback loops and. As cyberspace has opened up the electronic transmission of information and data a shift in the focus of export controls on crossborder transfer of nuclear technology is called for. Re processing for defense purpos es continued, however, until. The nuclear power markets addressed in this report include the designconstruction of reactors, and the nuclear fuel cycle services of conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, used fuel storage and reprocessing. In the united states many utility spent fuel storage pools are fulla consequence of a failed repository program and the lack of a national spent nuclear fuel policy. The feasibility and costs of spent nuclear fuel management and the consequent disposal of ultimate waste continue to be the subject of public. Ensuring security of supply world nuclear association. The process of extracting uranium and using it to generate electricity is called the nuclear fuel cycle. Spent nuclear fuel and highlevel waste from the fuel cycle of. Assessment of nuclear energy systems based on a closed. Advanced fuel cycle economic tools, algorithms, and methodologies.
While the current participation in the nuclear fuel cycle is limited to uranium production, it is also generally accepted that exploring the rest of the nuclear fuel cycle maybe of significant benefit to namibia. Their analysis included a credit for both the uranium and the plutonium recovered through reprocessing. The economics of the nuclear fuel cycle nuclear energy agency. Fuel cycle nuclear development nuclear energy agency economic, environmental and social aspects trends in the nuclear fuel cycle 2001 t rends in the nuclear fuel cycle 66 2002 01 1 p e 37. International safeguards and satellite imagery key. Nodal code evaluation of criticality, power peaking and power sharing through operating cycle, use of burnable poisons and reshuffle and reload for uranium and plutonium cycles. Global nuclear markets market arrangements and service.
Mit opencourseware nuclear science and engineering 22. Oncethrough cycle nuclear fuel cycle what is the nuclear fuel cycle. Letter grade fuel cycle from uranium mining through waste management. Sep 01, 2004 the political economy of nuclear energy in the united states. This book covers the entire nuclear fuel cycle, from mining uranium ore to disposal of radioactive wastes. Chapter 4 fuel cycles 29 the description of a possible global growth scenario for nuclear power with or so gwe deployed worldwide must begin with some specification of the nuclear fuel cycles that will be in operation. Syllabus systems analysis of the nuclear fuel cycle.
Nuclear and radiological engineering nuclear fuel cycles 3 credits. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book. Nor does the nuke compete with a combined cycle natural gaspowered plant ccgt, even assuming a high price for natural gas. A new approach to the nuclear fuel cycle nuclear threat initiative. Reactor fuel cycle including economics and advanced fuel management. The talk will start by exploring the relationship between the potential expansion of nuclear energy and its economic performance, in order to frame the importance of the correct assessment of the economicrelated parameters of nuclear fuel cycles. Key features of the nuclear fuel cycle and computerbased analysis. Exploration, mining, production, supply and demand, economics and environmental issues uram2009 proceedings of an international symposium organized by the international atomic energy agency in cooperation with the oecd nuclear energy agency, the nuclear energy institute and the world nuclear. All estimates are for aqueous reprocessing, except argonne national laboratorys estimate for highrecovery pyrochemical reprocessing. The breakeven uranium price at which reprocessing spent nuclear fuel from existing lightwater reactors lwrs and recycling the resulting plutonium and uranium in lwrs would become economic is assessed, using central estimates of the costs of different elements of the nuclear fuel cycle and other. 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 reprocess or dispose of.
On average, fuel costs comprise approximately 20% of nuclear power plants total generating costs. Fuel cycle economic analysis using an excel spreadsheet. Book description the nuclear fuel cycle is characterised by the wide range of scientific disciplines and technologies it employs. In addition, nuclear fuel cycle and associated economics analysis are presented, together with the application of modern control theory to reactor operation. To date, the us reactor fleet has generated approximately 68,000 mthm of used nuclear fuel unf and. Mit nuclear fuel cycle study advisory committee members iv. The fuel cycle lifetime from mining to discharge is about 8 years. An economic analysis has been performed to compare four nuclear fuel cycle options. Scientific american 85 smarter use of nuclear waste cycle would combine two innovations. About the economics of nuclear power 77 chapter 11 recommendations bearing on safety,waste management, and proliferation 85 chapter 12 recommended analysis,research,development and demonstration program 91 glossary of technical terms 95 appendices appendix to chapter 1. Nawada of the division of nuclear fuel cycle and waste technology. The economics of the nuclear fuel cycle mit opencourseware.
Approximation of the economy of fusion energy sciencedirect. In particular, the business council notes the significant anticipated economic benefits attributable to an integrated storage and disposal facility for nuclear fuel outlined in the commissions report. Topics include uranium supply, enrichment fuel fabrication, incore physics and fuel management of uranium, thorium and other fuel types, reprocessing and waste disposal. For nonuprated cores, the silicon carbide clad fuel has a clear economic advantage that increases with increasing discharge burnup. Nuclear and radiological engineering fuel cycle from uranium mining through waste management. Ensuring security of supply in the international nuclear fuel cycle. The future of the nuclear fuel cycle overview, conclusions, and recommendations 1 chapter 2. Indeed, 95 percent of the used fuel from americas 104 power reactors, which provide about 20 percent of the nations electricity, could be recycled for future use.
The authora noted expert on the topicexplores the fundamentals and presents the mathematical formulations that are grounded in differential equations and linear algebra. Economic analysis of two nuclear fuel cycle options. The future of the nuclear fuel cycle redirecting to s. The advanced fuel cycle initiative afci systems analysis supports. Intro nuclear fuel cycle costcalculator calculator nuclear fuel cycle costcalculatormodel data nuclear fuel cycle costcalculatordata glossary nuclear fuel cycle costcalculatorglossary glossary, references and contacts back end the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle describes the processes for managing spent fuel. The participation of expert group members is gratefully acknowledged. Nuclear fuel cycle analysis and management download pdf. International atomic energy agency iaea, 66th board of governors. Interim storage of spent nuclear fuel 43 chapter 5. After all, the economic efficiency of nuclear power will decrease if such a social cost is included in the cost to dispose of sf. This paper examines the difference in the value of the nuclear fuel cycle cost. The breakeven uranium price at which reprocessing spent nuclear fuel from existing lightwater reactors lwrs and recycling the resulting plutonium and uranium in lwrs would become economic is assessed, using central estimates of the costs of different elements of the nuclear fuel cycle and other fuel cycle input parameters, for a.
Comparison of nuclear fuel cycle economics under current energy policies in korea. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Nuclear fuel cycle science and engineering describes both the key features of the complete nuclear fuel cycle and the wealth of recent research in this important field. The future of the nuclear fuel cycle mit energy initiative. Advanced fuel cycle cost basis inl digital library. Trends in the nuclear fuel cycle nuclear energy agency. Their report, the economics of the nuclear fuel cycle oecdnea, 1993. The suite of encore fuel products offers significant economic benefits accelerated delivery timeline superior design provides enhanced fuel cycle and plant economics worlds largest supplier of nuclear fuel with worldclass partner network anticipated encore fuel program timeline licensing initiatives as the regulatory framework for accident. Nonproliferation, safeguards, and export controls guest lecturer.
The nuclear fuel cycle updated august 2010 z the nuclear fuel cycle is the series of industrial processes which involve the production of electricity from uranium in nuclear power reactors. The nuclear fuel cycle information system nfcis is an international directory of civilian nuclear fuel cycle facilities. Introduction, the economics of the nuclear fuel cycle, nea. Oecd ilibrary the economics of the back end of the. The demonstration of the technical feasibility of the energy use of nuclear fusion is the objective of the iter international thermonuclear experimental reactor project. Pdf economic analysis of different nuclear fuel cycle options. The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. Economic analysis of different nuclear fuel cycle options. Lecture notes systems analysis of the nuclear fuel cycle. The accident in japan strongly argues for the united states to have a national spent fuel policyrather than the adhoc policies that currently exist.
Manual checks on modeling results are recommended for verification. The entire fuel cycle and its components are shown in figure s. Nuclear power is a huge energy source that accounts for about 0% of koreas 3 lectric power. Westinghouse is now building on the success of our flagship ifba product with. Nuclear engineering and technology vol 51, issue 2, pages. The nuclear energy agencys annual brown book provides readers a comprehensive and easytoaccess overview of the current situation and expected trends in various sectors of the nuclear fuel cycle. The publications in this series provide authoritative, reliable information on nuclear technologies, economics, strategies and resources to governments for use in policy analyses and decision making. Even for comparable discharge burnups, there is a fuel cost savings of several million dollars per cycle as long as it does not increase the cost of fabrication by more than 50%, which seems highly unlikely. International safeguards and satellite imagery book subtitle key features of the nuclear fuel cycle and computerbased analysis.
The political economy of nuclear energy in the united states. Few other individual cost components have such a large impact on the economics of the nuclear fleet. Nodal code evaluation of criticality, power peaking and power sharing through operating cycle, use of burnable poisons and reshuffle and reload for. Nuclear fuel cycle science and engineering 1st edition. Economic studies on nuclear energy development and the fuel cycle and prepared by an ad hoc expert group see list in appendix 7 under the chairmanship of hans forsstrom. Utilization of used nuclear fuel in a potential future us fuel cycle scenario. The safety of the nuclear fuel cycle third edition. Energy output per batch, e b, at steady state mass of fuel as heavy metal, p, per batch discharge burnup of. The present edition of the safety of the nuclear fuel cycle has been prepared by the working group on operating experience wgoe subgroup on fuel cycle safety fcs under the auspices of the oecd nuclear energy agency nea committee on the safety of nuclear installations csni. Nuclear policy, economics and human resource development. A sites fuel costs depend on two factors, the price of the fuel components. Uranium, the fuel used by nuclear power plants to produce electricity, is a naturally occurring element in the earths crust. In order to manage the nuclear fuel cycle to make nuclear power be used economically, the suitable nuclear fuel cycle option should be analyzed by the means of the economic calculations. Washington does when it comes to safe, affordable and co2free nuclear energy.
These symposia covered all areas of the uranium production cycle including. The nuclear fuel cycle is formed by all the steps and processes that nuclear fuel has to be put. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the nuclear fuel cycle analysis and management, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. This report assesses the economics of reprocessing versus direct disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Principal nuclear engineer argonne national laboratory economics of the nuclear fuel cycle abstract. The gaseous diffusion process consists in passing gaseous uf 6through a long series of barriers formed by membranes with. While there are economic advantages to making these changes, they also require long. From the uranium mine to waste disposal 7 the nuclear fuel cycle from the uranium mine to waste disposal 7 the nuclear fuel cycle 8 9 into uranium hexafluoride uf 6, which becomes a gas when heated to 56c.
A series of publications from the oecd nuclear energy agency on various aspects of nuclear development. The subject of nuclear power is fraught with controversy, and it is often discussed with an inadequate understanding of the science behind todays reactor technology. This is the first of nine modules available in this selfstudy course. A brief description of the nuclear fuel cycle is included as appendix a. Exploration, mining, production, supply and demand, economics and environmental issues uram2014 was the fourth in a series of symposia to discuss issues related to uranium raw materials. The economics of the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle the feasibility and costs of spent nuclear fuel management and the consequent disposal of ultimate waste continue to be the subject of public debate in many countries, with particular concern often expressed over the lack of. World nuclear association is pleased to see that the parliament of victoria is considering the potential benefits to victoria in removing prohibitions enacted by the nuclear activities prohibitions act 1983. The economics of the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Download preface 1 pdf 284 kb download sample pages 2 pdf 1 mb download table of contents pdf.
Nuclear fuel cycle and radioactive waste management. One of the key arguments in favor of recycling is concern that the scarcity of the raw materials relative to the exponentially growing demand for electricity will drive the price of the fuel to escalate. The study was carried out by an international group of experts from canada, china, france, india, japan, the republic of korea, the russian federation. It includes data on total and nuclear electricity generation and generation capacity, nuclear power plants by development stage, and data on. Nuclear fuel cycle cost estimation and sensitivity. Nuclear fuel cycle cost estimation and sensitivity analysis of unit costs on the basis of an equilibrium model. It is intended for a broad audience of nonspecialist readers.
You can copy, download or print oecd content for your own use, and. Its purpose is to provide the iaea, its member states and public users with current, consistent, and readily accessible information on existing, closed and planned nuclear fuel cycle facilities throughout the world. Executive summary pdf full report pdf the implications on the world energy system, beyond shortterm price increases from greater use of oil and liquefied natural gas, are yet unknown and go beyond nuclear energy. The steps before electricity production mining and milling, conversion, enrichment, and fuel fabrication are known as the front end of the cycle. The nuclear fuel cycle economics radioactive waste disposal safety security. This section includes the readings by session below assigned readings. Economic analysis of different nuclear fuel cycle options hindawi. The effect of renewable and nuclear energy consumption on.
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