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7.4. ADEQUACY OF NUCLEAR POWER SYSTEMS UTILIZING DENATURED 233U FUEL
FOR MEETING ELECTRICAL POWER DEMANDS
M. R. Shay, D. R. Haffner, W. E. Black, T. M. Helm,
R. W. Hardie, and R. P. Omberg
Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory
An important measure for evaluating a nuclear power system is whether it can meet
projected power demands with the uranium resources estimated to be available at an accept-
able cost.
This section summarizes the results of analyses performed in this study to
determine whether various nuclear power systems uti1 izing denatured 233U fuel could meet
a projected power demand of 350 GWe installed capacity by the year 2000 and a net increase
of 15 GWe/year through the year 2049, the total capacity in the year 2050 being 1100 GWe.
The analyses were based on a uranium supply model shown in Fig. 7.4-1 and in Table B-7
(Appendix B) , which provides both conservative and optimistic predictions of the uranium
supply as a function of cost.
The power systems analyzed are described in detail in Chapter 6. They are comprised
of LEU-LWRs operating in conjunction with LWRs on other fuel cycles or in conjunction with
one of the three types of advanced converters (SSCR, HWR, or HTGR) considered in the study.
In some cases, FBRs are included in the system.
resistant power systems was one of the primary concerns, the concept of a secure energy
ORNL-DWG 78-24717
Since the maintenance of proliferation-
center supporting dispersed reactors was
used, with the fuel utilized in the dis-
persed reactors restricted to LEU (or SEU)
260 I I I I I I I I I I and denatured fuels. A reactor operating on
240 -
-
-
the denatured 233U fuel cycle is not self-
sustaining, however, and therefore it
200 - requires an exogenous source of 23%. In
-In- -
the power systems studied, the 233U is
provided by MEU/Th-fueled thermal reactors
or pl utoni um-fuel ed thermal and/or fast
- transmuters. These reactors, of course,
a1 so contribute to the power generation.
Because the transmuters have plutonium cores ,
however, they must be located within the secure
-
-
-
-
-
energy centers. (Note: With this restriction
the "energy support ratio'' of a nuclear
system becomes a second important measure
1 1 1 1 ' " - of evaluation, as is discussed in Section
0 .
0
1
t
'
2 ' 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + O t !
u30e OUANTITY (to6 tons)
Fig. 7.4-1. Marginal Costs for High-
and Intermediate-Cost U308 Supply Curves.
7.2.3. The energy support ratios for the
systems described here are given in Appendix
C, along with other detailed results from
the analyses. )