Transition towards a sustainable nuclear fuel cycle

Future Fuel Cycle Characteristics, Feasibility And Acceptability Will Be Crucial For The Continued Development Of Nuclear Energy, Especially In The Post-fukushima Context. Fuel Cycle Choices Have Both Long- And Short-term Impacts, And A Holistic Assessment Of Their Characteristics, Cost And Associated Safety Issues Is Of Paramount Importance. This Report associates Quantified Impacts With Foreseeable Nuclear Energy Development In Different World Regions. It Gives Initial Results In Terms Of Uranium Resource Availability, Fuel Cycle Facility Deployment And Reactor Types. In Particular, The Need To Achieve Short Doubling Times With Future Fast Reactors Is Investigated And Quantified. The Report Also Provides Guidelines For Performing Future Studies To Account For A Wider Range Of Hypotheses On Energy Demand Growth, Different Hypotheses Regarding Uranium Resource Availability And Different Types Of Reactors To Be Deployed. Executive Summary 9 1. Introduction 11 2. Ongoing Studies And Hypotheses For The Present Study 13 -2.1. Recent Studies 13 -2.2. Nuclear Energy Demand Adopted For The World Study 14 -2.2.1. Analysis Of Nuclear Energy Growth Scenarios From Available Literature 15 -2.2.2. Ipcc Emission Scenarios And Energy Projections 16 -2.2.3. Iiasa Scenarios And Energy Projections 19 -2.2.4. Energy Subdivision Adopted For The Heterogeneous Study 20 -2.3. A Critical Review Of Current Uranium Resources Estimates 21 -2.3.1. Introduction 21 -2.3.2. Uranium Resources Estimates 22 -2.4. Reactor Characteristics Adopted In Scenario Studies 25 -2.4.1. Introduction 25 -2.4.2. Reactor Models Adopted In The Study 25 -2.4.3. Description Of The High Breeding Ratio Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor Model 26 3. World Scenario: Pressurised Water Reactors To Meet Energy Demand 29 -3.1. Pwrs With Limited Pu Recycle 29 -3.2. Pwrs With Extended Recovery Of Fissile Materials And Variable Burn-up  32 -4. Homogeneous World Transition Scenario With Global Energy Demand Growth  37 -4.1. Introduction 37 -4.2. World Transition Scenario 37 -4.3. Homogeneous World Approach 38 5. World Scenario: Heterogeneous Approach 47 -5.1. Introduction  47 -5.2. Regional (heterogeneous) Approach 47 -5.2.1. Pwr Deployment And Open Fuel Cycle 47 -5.2.2. World Transition Scenario Towards Fast Systems In A Regional Approach  51 6. Conclusions 63 References 65 Members Of The Wpfc Expert Group On Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios  67 Organisation For Economic Co-operation And Development And Nuclear Energy Agency Bibliographic Level Mode Of Issuance: Monograph Includes Bibliographical References. English