Costs for Manufacturing Thorium-Uranium Dioxide Fuels for Light Water Reactors

Journal Article · Thu Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 2004 · Nuclear Technology

OSTI ID:20837868

Lahoda, Edward J ^[1]

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1. Westinghouse Electric Corporation (United States)

The results of a 2-yr effort to determine the capability of U.S. fuel manufacturers to economically manufacture thorium-uranium dioxide (ThO{sub 2}-UO{sub 2}) fuel in plants that have previously only manufactured UO{sub 2} fuel with <5% {sup 235}U enrichment are presented. It was determined that there were no fundamental obstacles to converting the current plants that manufacture a uranium-oxide-only fuel to a mixed thorium-uranium dioxide fuel. However, the differential costs for manufacturing a 75% ThO{sub 2}-25% UO{sub 2} fuel, with the uranium enriched with 20% {sup 235}U, as compared to a 100% UO{sub 2} fuel, was between $269 and $$291/kg of metal oxide fuel, depending on the manufacturing method used to convert the uranium and thorium feeds to the dioxide powders. More than 90% of this cost was associated with the increased cost of the uranium feed and the addition of the thorium feed. If a 70% ThO{sub 2}-30% UO{sub 2} fuel were used, the differential costs would increase to between $$519 and $542/kg of metal oxide fuel, of which >95% is associated with the uranium and thorium feed materials.

• OSTI ID: 20837868
• Journal Information: Nuclear Technology, Journal Name: Nuclear Technology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 147; ISSN 0029-5450; ISSN NUTYBB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
COST
MANUFACTURING
NUCLEAR FUELS
THORIUM
THORIUM OXIDES
URANIUM
URANIUM 235
URANIUM DIOXIDE
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS