COMPARATIVE FUEL CYCLE EVALUATIONS LOW DECONTAMINATION PYROPROCESSING VS AQUEOUS REPROCESSING PART I. U02 FUEL IN A THERMAL REACTOR

摘要

Fuel cycle cost studies on UO2 fuel indicate an economic advantage for the AIROX process (reconstitution of fuel involving a pyro-oxidation-reduction step), as compared to aqueous reprocessing. These studies were carried out for a 1000 Mw (e) complex, based on a BWR Reference Reactor. The U235 inventory and burnup requirements for fuel reprocessed by the AIROX process are higher than for processes which effect complete fission product removal The 235 average additional U burnup, caused by recycling a partial fission product load to a thermal reactor for 9 cycles (27 years) is about 15% I. However, the savings resulting from the simpler on-site closed fuel cycle associated with AIROX more than offset the additional burnup costs.