Preliminary conceptual design and cost estimation for SFR Fuel Manufacturing Facility (SFMF)

The combination of fast reactors and an advanced fuel cycle processes is considered as a potential option for sustaining nuclear power generation without producing excessive high level wastes. Korea has explored pyroprocessing technology associated with sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs) to close the fuel cycle by repeatedly processing SFR spent fuels. To realize the whole pyroprocessing concept with fuel fabrication, it is important to integrate individual developments and calculate a material flow from feed to final products. In this study, SFR Fuel Manufacturing Facility (SFMF) is conceptualized to support 6 SFRs with 1200 MWe each. In the pyroprocessing section, spent fuels are treated by electrochemical steps and metallic products are prepared for the following fuel fabrication. The recovered materials are converted into slugs and loaded in fuel tubes to become fuel assemblies. A site layout for SFMF was planned and a main building was conceptually designed. As an economic approach to the proposed facility, the unit cost estimation (5511 $/kgHM denominated in 2009 U.S. dollars) for SFMF is also analyzed with the conceptual design with preliminary sensitivity assessments including decontamination and decommissioning costs, a discount rate, staffing costs, and plant lifetime. While classifying and describing cost details of SFMF, this study compares the unit cost of SFMF treating SFR spent fuel to that of the pyroprocessing facility treating PWR spent fuel.