THE EFFECT OF THE RADIOCHEMICAL REPROCESSING INDUSTRY'S GROWTH ON SPENT REPROCESSING COSTS
An economic study of radochemical reprocessing has been made to determine the means by which reasonable reprocessing costs (less than 0.75 mill/ kwh) can be attained at the earliest possible date. It is assumed that the fuel is 2% enriched uranum irradiated to 4000 Mwd/ton. In a free economy, in which plants must be built to reprocess the fuel with minimum delay, reasonable reprocessing costs will not be attained until the nuclear power capacity reaches 80,000 Mw (heat), which is expected in about 1971. Reasonable reprocessing costs can be attained in a single plant from a nuclear capacity of 28,000 Mw (heat), which may be available around 1967, if the reactor operator does not have to pay use charges on the spent fuel. Several support programs by which the government could maintain reasonable radiochemical reprocessing costs in the projected economy prior to 1971 have been investigated. The government could support fuel recovery costs with the least expense by supplying the process development, and repurchasing and stockpiling spent reactor fuels until a single economical reprocessing plant can be built by private industry. (auth) A radiochemical separation technique for neptunium was developed to assist in the measurement of plutonium production in reactors. The method is useful in rapid determination of such quantities as the resonance escape probability and the conversion ratio with simplified experimental techniques. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- NSA Number:
- NSA-12-008365
- OSTI ID:
- 4342899
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL-2279(Del.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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