Energy sustainability and economic stability with Breed and Burn reactors

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the impact a successful development of Breed and Burn (B&B) fast reactors and their fuel reconditioning technologies could have on the uranium ore utilization, uranium enrichment capacity, nuclear waste and energy security. It is found that a successful development of B&B reactors will offer 40-folds increase in the uranium ore utilization versus that presently achieved. A successful development of a fuel reconditioning technology could increase the attainable uranium utilization to 100-folds its present value. The growth rate of the installed capacity of B&B reactors possible to achieve using the “spawning” mode of operation is estimated to be nearly 4% per year. The amount of natural uranium required for starting a fleet of B&B reactors that will reach an electricity generation capacity of 1000 GWe by the end of this century is estimated to be the equivalent of 10 years of supply to the presently operating commercial fleet of LWRs in the US (86 GWe). No natural uranium and no enrichment capacity will be required to support this fleet beyond the later part of this century. The energy value of the depleted uranium stockpiles (“waste”) that will be accumulated in the US by that time is equivalent to, when used in the B&B reactors, up to 20 centuries of the total 2010 supply of electricity in the USA. It is therefore concluded that a successful development of B&B reactors and associated fuel reconditioning could provide a great measure of energy security, proliferation resistance and cost stability.

► Breed and Burn (B&B) reactors enable to increase the uranium utilization 40-folds.
► B&B reactors associated with fuel reconditioning enable to increase the uranium utilization 100-folds.
► Capacity growth rate is nearly 4% without enriched fuel or natural uranium.
► Depleted uranium stockpiles represent up to 20 centuries of energy.