Abstract
In the planning and management of the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel, the technical and economic parameters that are involved have a significant role in increasing the efficiency of the storage system. Optimal parameters will reduce the total economic costs for countries embarking on nuclear energy, such as the UAE. This study evaluated the design performance and economic feasibility of various structures and schedules, to determine an optimal combination of parameters for the management of spent nuclear fuel. With the introduction of various storage technology arrangements and expected costs per unit for the storage system design, we evaluated eight major scenarios, each with a cost analysis based on technological and economic issues. We executed a number of calculations based on the use of these storage technologies, and considered their investment costs. These calculations, which were aligned with the net present value approach and conducted using MS Project and MATLAB software programs, considered the capacities of the spent fuel pools and the amount of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) that will be transferred to dry storage facilities. As soon as they sufficiently cool, the spent nuclear fuel is to be stored in a pool storage facility. The results show that applying a centralized dry storage (CDS) system strategy is not an economically feasible solution, compared with using a permanent disposal facility (PDF) (unless the variable investment cost is reduced or changed). The optimal strategy involves operating a spent fuel pool island (SFPI) storage after the first 20 years of the start of the permanent shutdown of the reactor. After 20 years, the spent fuel is then transferred to a PDF. This strategy also results in a 20.9% to 26.1% reduction in the total cost compared with those of the other strategies. The total cost of the proposed strategy is approximately 4,307 million USD. The duration of the fuel storage and the investment cost, particularly the variable investment cost, directly affect the choice of facility storage.
Highlights
Countries in the Arabian Peninsula are highly motivated to progress faster toward the realization of nuclear power plant (NPP) technology programs. is is especially true for Saudi Arabia (SA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
For the four reactors of the Barakah NPP, eight groups of time-period scenarios were evaluated for storage duration periods of 20, 30, 40, and 60 years using the MATLAB software. e evaluation was based on the main factors that affect spent fuel management at the Barakah site, as explained in Sections 1.2, 1.3, and 2.1; the assumptions and input parameters detailed in Tables 1 to 10; and the assumption of 60 years of operational lifetime, as explained in Section 2.2.2. e main results, which are summarized in Tables 14 and 15, show that Sc-7 is the best and most economically favorable option among the tested scenarios, because it has the lowest cost category compared with the others
In Sc-7, the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is transferred to an spent fuel pool island (SFPI) facility 20 years after the reactor starts its operations. e SNF is stored in the wet storage for 20 years, after which it is sent directly to and stored for 20 years in a permanent disposal facility (PDF) facility that utilizes concrete casks
Summary
Countries in the Arabian Peninsula are highly motivated to progress faster toward the realization of nuclear power plant (NPP) technology programs. is is especially true for Saudi Arabia (SA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). One of the most important and challenging problems that should be addressed after the operation of a commercial nuclear power plant is the safe management of nuclear fuel, Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations with a duration that should be accounted for in the decommissioning of an NPP. In this duration, the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) will release large quantities of radiation and decay heat. Safe management of SNF during plant operations and during the decommissioning process must focus on protecting workers, the public, and the environment from radiation exposure. It is essential to estimate the total cost of implementing this process
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