The Econom ics of Reprocessing and M O X Recycle

A pril 5, 2004

Reprocessing

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H anford W A - not in use

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La H ague, France - in use

Estim ated S eparated P lutonium H oldings

*Declared to be in excess of national security requirements

A ssum ptions

1. The contents of the spent fue l discharged fro m reactors operating on the UOX once-through cycle with a burnup of 50, 000 MWDth/MTIHM are as follows:

Uranium: 93.4 w/o (U 235 enrichment: 1.1 w/o)

Plutonium: 1.33 w/o (total fissile enrichment (Pu 239 +Pu 241 ) = 0.93 w/o) Fission products: 5.15 w/o

Minor a ctinides: 0.12 w/o

2. Fissile plutonium (Pu 239 +Pu 241 ) is approximately equivalent to U-235 on a gram fo r gram b asis; that is, equal weight pe rcent enrichments of U-235 and fissile plutonium in U-238 are needed to drive a fuel assembly to the same cycle and discharge burnups. (In practice, MOX fuel has a lower initial reactivity for the same weight percent fissile enrichment, but undergoes a slower loss of reactivity with burnup.)

3. Value of uranium recovered from reprocessing spent PWR fuel is zero. (The recovered uranium is still slightly enriched in U-235, but other U isotopes make it less attractive, and u nder current market conditions, with low natural uranium prices, it is not economic to reuse it.)

M O X Fuel C ycle C ost Param eters

MOX fuel

Note : Duration of irradiation = 4.5 years.

Material balance

Q: How many kilograms of spent PWR fuel must be reprocessed and natural U purchased to produce 1 kg of MOX fuel at 4.51% fissile enrichment?

Let W be the mass of spent fuel (in kg/kg of MOX fuel)

Let M be the mass of natural uranium (in kg/kg of MOX fuel) Let x be the en richment of fissile Pu in the MOX fuel

Let y be the en richment of U-235 in the MOX fuel

M kg natural uranium

 0.711 w/o U-235

fissile Pu

1% loss 1% loss

of HM of HM

1 kg HM (as MOX)

 x kg fissile Pu

 y kg U-235

M aterial B alance: Front-end of M O X cycle

M kg natural uranium

 0.711 w/o U-235

Spen t fuel W kg HM

1.01 z kg fissile Pu

1% loss 1% loss

1 kg HM (as MOX)

 x kg fissile Pu

 y kg U-235

Calculation of M O X Fuel C ycle C ost

Total batch cost   M i C i    M i C i     T i

i i

GRAND TOTAL $7107/kg HM MOX fuel

i.e. , MOX fuel cycle c ost ~ 3 x once through cycle cost

Qu estio ns

1. What is the minimum price of natural uranium ore at which MOX recycle would be economic? 2.

3. What is the maximum cost of reprocessing at which MOX recycle w ould be economic? 4.

5. Why are countries such as France and Japan pu rsuing MOX recycle?

Breakeven uranium price as a function of reprocessing cost

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000

Reprocessing cost ($/kg HM)

N atural U ranium Price Trends

Source: OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and IAEA, Uranium 2001: Resources, Production and Demand, 2002, p. 68.