ORNL-5388 - the Molten Salt Energy Technologies Web Site

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Table 7.4-4. Maximum u308 Requirements
of Various Nuclear Pol icy Options
Maximum u308 Consumption (thousand2 of tons per year)
Converter
Reactor
Option 1 2 3 4 5u 5T 6 7 8
LWRs
SSCRs
183 120 60
160 115 52
HWRs 120 83 66
HTGRs 140 82 53
W th
With High-Cost U308 Supply
111
83
78
105
115 115
83 83
62 69
96 115
1termed.ate-Cost U308 Supp
~~ ~~
62 60 68
50 50 55
64 63 65
61 60 65
LWRs 183 120 92 111 117 115 86 86 92
SSCRs 160 115 93 83 83 83 83 83 83
HWRs 120 83 66 110 89 90 66 66 66
HTGRs 140 86 86 105 96 115 87 87 87
Satisfying the demand for 1100 GWe in year 2050 with the standard LWR once-through
cycle (Option 1L) would require that about 183,000 ST U308 be produced in year 2049, with
a cumulative consumption of 7.1 million ST through that date.
converters (Options lS, lH, and 1G) would reduce both the cumulative U308 consumption and
the maximum production rate requirements on the once-through cycle - i n the case of the
HWR as low as 5.6 million ST and 120,000 STlyr, respectively.
Y
Introducing advanced
Thermal recycle modes (Options 2, 4, 5U, and 5T) would reduce U308 consumption
through year 2049 to within the range of 3.3 to 5.4 million ST U308, depending on the
policy option chosen and to a lesser extent on the uranium cost level. The maximum U308
consumption would vary from 62,000 to 120,000 ST/yr. The resource consumption is sensi-
tive to the uranium price level to the extent that high-cost uranium favors the choice of
efficient high-capital-cost systems such as the HWR, whereas lower-cost uranium favors
continued use of LWRs even if other reactors are available.
It should be noted that when plutonium is recycled in thermal power systems includ-
ing denatured reactors (Options 5U and 5T) the total resource requirements (including Pu)