Economic analysis of alternative options in CANDU fuel cycle

In this study, fuel cycle options for CANDU reactor were studied. Three main options in a CANDU fuel cycle involve use of : (1) natural uranium (0.711 weight percent U-235) fuel, (2) slightly enriched uranium (1.2 weight percent U-235) fuel, and (3) recovered uranium (0.83 weight percent U-235) fuel from light water reactor spent fuel. ORIGEN-2 computer code was used to identify composition of the spent fuel for each option , including the standard LWR fuel (3.3 weight percent U-235). Uranium and plutonium credit calculations were performed by using ORIGEN-2 output. WIMSD-5 computer code was used to determine maximum discharge burnup values for each case. Cost estimations were carried out using specially-developed computer programs. Comparison of levelized costs for the fuel cycle options and sensitivity analysis for the cost components are also presented