Limited Recycle approach

The limited recycle approach involves the re-use of nuclear fuel once. In Stage 1, plant operators send new nuclear fuel into the reactors (as in the once-through approach) and extract plutonium and uranium from fuel discharged from the reactor. In Stage 2, the extracted plutonium and uranium are formed into mixed-oxide fuel and fed back into similar reactors once. After a second pass through the reactors, the fuel is sent to storage and disposal without any further separation of materials.

All other products are stored and sent to geologic disposal sites – i.e., depleted uranium, surplus recovered uranium, minor actinides (MA), and fission products (FP).

 

Recalculating Here

Limited Recycle Calculator (EG13) Levelized Cost of Electricity

Stage 1	Recommended Range	Value
Overnight capital cost of the PWR UOX ($/kWe)
Discount rate (1=100%)
Years for construction of the PWR UOX
Annual interest rate during construction - compounded quarterly (1=100%)
Capacity factor of the PWR UOX (1=100%)
Operation and maintenance fixed costs of the PWR UOX ($/kWe-y)
Operation and maintenance variable cost of the PWR UOX ($/MWh)
Uranium cost as yellowcake (U3O8) ($/kgU)
Enrichment cost ($/kgSWU)
Fabrication cost of low-enriched uranium oxide fuel ($/kg of enriched U)
Conversion cost ($/kgU product)
De-conversion cost of depleted uranium from UF6 to U3O8 for disposal ($/kgU)
Conditioning cost of UOX SNF before shipping ($/kgHM)
Disposal cost of depleted uranium as U3O8 ($/kgDU)

Stage 2	Recommended Range	Value
Overnight capital cost of the PWR MOX ($/kWe)
Discount rate (1=100%)
Years for construction of the PWR MOX
Annual interest rate during construction - compounded quarterly (1=100%)
Capacity factor of the PWR MOX (1=100%)
Operation and maintenance fixed costs of the PWR MOX ($/kWe-y)
Operation and maintenance variable cost of the PWR MOX ($/MWh)
Conditioning cost of MOX SNF before shipping ($/kgHM)
Separation cost of plutonium ($/kgHM)
Fabrication cost of MOX fuel ($/kgHM)
Conditioning cost of minor actinides (MA) and fission products (FP) before storage/disposal ($/kg of (FP+MA))
Geologic disposal cost of minor actinides (MA) and fission products (FP) ($/kg of (FP+MA))
Geologic disposal cost of SNF ($/kgHM)
Disposal cost of reprocessed uranium as stable oxide ($/kgU)

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Sliding bars are provided for convenience: However, users can input values beyond the boundaries of the sliding bars, if so desired, by simply typing the desired value in the boxes next to the sliding bars. The variables for which input values are to be defined are explained in the glossary.