REQUIREMENTS FOR RAW MATERIALS IN AN EXPANDING NUCLEAR POWER ECONOMY
The need for breeding does not appear to be highly cost for a moderately optimistic expanding nuclear power economy between 1960 and 2000. Since the expansion rate of the US nuclear economy is assumed to be high at least 2/3 of the U-235 recovered from natural uranium is used to supply reactor inventory. It is the remaining 1/3 of the available U-235 that can be saved by breeder breeders or a breeder and converter are the doubling time and a parameter expressing the total fissile inventory per magawatt of electricity. In fact, the need for new raw material in any given year is reduced more by specific power than by changing from a converter to a value of total inventory per magawatt of electricity and the content and value of plutonium or U-233 than on raw material cost. The use of 12% vs. 4% annual lease charge can change the inventory costs more significantly than either the Pu (or U-233)/U-235 value ratio or raw material cost. Net fuel burn costs vary more with the product of net conversion ratio and Pu (or U-233)/U-235 value ratio than with the cost of raw material. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- NSA Number:
- NSA-13-011486
- OSTI ID:
- 4276079
- Report Number(s):
- CF-59-1-60
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Presented at the 1959 American Chemical Society Nuclear Technology Symposium, April 5-10, 1959, Boston. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-59
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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