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installed capacity must be handled as fresh fuel each year within the energy centers. This
can be compared to the classical case of plutonium recycle in which 56% of the installed
capacity is located in the energy centers and 368 kg of fissile plutonium is handled as fresh
fuel each year. Thus, using the plutonium to produce 233U results in a significant reduction
in the amount of installed capacity that must be located in secure regions, and it also reduces
the amount of fissile plutonium that must be handled as fresh fuel each year.
- 67.8 ST U308
REFABRICATION
HEDL 7805490.56
Fig. 6.2-28. Utilization and Movement of Fissile Material in an LWR Nuclear System
"Transmuting" Plutonium to 233U (Case 5TL, High-Cost U308 Supply) (Year 2035).
As for the preceding option, the high energy support ratio associated with this case
requires the development of a nuclear industry capable of reprocessing significant amounts
of fuel containing thorium and refabricating significant amounts of fuel containing 232U,
although these amounts are considerably smaller. As Fig. 6.2-28 indicates, the LWR loaded
with approximately 3% enriched 235U comprises 62% of the installed capacity in year 2035, ~
the LWR loaded with Pu in Th comprises 18%, and the LWR loaded with 12% 233U in 23*U comprises
20%.
Thus approximately 34% o f the reprocessing capacity must be capable of handling fuel
containing thorium and 20% of the fabrication capacity must be capable of handling fuel con-
tai ni ng 232U.
In sumnary, a converter strategy based on the LWR which "transmutes" all plutonium
to 233U could supply a maximum nuclear contribution of 640 GWe with the high-cost U308
supply, of which about 120 GWe would be located in energy centers.
tribution for this case is somewhat less than for the case in which the production of
plutonium is minimized, it does not require the development of new reactor concepts and
it will require handling smaller amounts of 233U.
While the nuclear con-
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