Thorium fuel cycle studies: fuel fabrication process and cost estimation

Abstract

Early in 1976 a study was made to assess the relative economics and fuel utilization of thorium and uranium fuel cycles in various types of reactors. It was to be completed in approximately two months, so all component parts had to be developed in a short time with a high degree of dependence on existing information. One of the components required for the study was a consistent set of relatively accurate fuel fabrication costs for the various reactor-fuel combinations. A report documents the rationale used in generating these cost estimates and presents in some detail the basis and methodology employed. Since three types of thermal flux reactors (LWR, HWR, and HTGR) and two types of fast flux reactors (liquid metal and gas cooled) together with three fuel forms (oxides, carbides, and metal) were included in the study with various combinations of the fissionable metals U, Th, and Pu, it was necessary to define a methodology that would permit a rapid relative estimate for each case. Existing cost studies were chosen for a Light-Water Reactor with low-enriched uranium fuel and for a High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor with highly enriched uranium and thorium fuel as the reference cases which could be compared withmore » other reactor-fuel combinations.« less