Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cost Calculator

Based on work performed by DOE-NE’s Systems Analysis and Integration Campaign

Continuous recycle approach

The continuous recycle approach involves the recovery of the plutonium and uranium in the used fuel and the re-use of the material in a fast reactor assumed to be sodium-cooled and using metal fuel. The reactor core contains driver and radial blanket regions, which are used as fuel.

After the fuel is re-used in the reactor to produce electricity, the uranium and plutonium from the driver and the blanket are recovered through chemical reprocessing and recycled back into the reactor. During this recycling process, some of the recovered uranium and plutonium are used to construct new driver fuel, and the remaining uranium and makeup natural or depleted uranium material are used to construct new blanket fuel.

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

 

Recalculating Here

Continuous Recycle Calculator (EG23) Levelized Cost of Electricity

  Once-through default Current
Data
Reactor Capital Recovery Cost ($/MWh) 30.6 32.8
Fuel Cost ($/MWh) 8.3 8.3
Reactor Operation And Maintenance Cost ($/MWh) 10.6 10.8
  ===== =====
Total Levelized Cost of Electricity ($/MWh) 49.5 51.9
Driver  Recommended Range Value
Overnight reactor capital cost ($/kWe)
Discount rate (1=100%)
Years for reactor construction
Annual interest rate during construction - compounded quarterly (1=100%)
Reactor capacity factor (1=100%)
Reactor operation and maintenance fixed costs ($/kWe-y)
Reactor operation and maintenance variable cost ($/MWh)
Uranium cost as yellowcake (U3O8) ($/kgU)
Conditioning cost of SNF before shipping ($/kgHM)
Separation cost of plutonium ($/kgHM)
Fabrication cost of plutonium - containing driver 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) ($/kg of (FP+MA))
Blanket  Recommended Range Value
Fabrication cost of new blanket fuel - containing natural or depleted uranium ($/kgHM)

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.