CANDU fuel research and development in Korea: current status and future prospects

The current status and future prospect of CANDU fuel R and D in Korea is always subjected to the consideration of domestic and international environments concerning nuclear safety, nuclear waste, nonproliferation and economy in favor of the arguments from public acceptance, international environments, and utilities. Considering that, at the end of 2000, the procurement of additional CANDU units at the Shin Wolsong site was decided not to proceed, the current and future CANDU fuel R and D would be oriented to the safety and economy of fuel and reactor operations rather than the national strategy of nuclear fuel cycle and reactor programs in Korea. Therefore, the current CANDU advanced fuel R and D programs such as CANFLEX-NU fuel industrialization, CANFLEX-0.9% SEU/RU fuel R and D, and DUPIC fuel cycle development in a laboratory-scale will be continued for the time being as it was. But the R and D of CANDU innovative fuels such as CANFLEX-1.2% ∼ 1.5 % SEU fuel, thorium oxide fuel and DUPIC fuel would have some difficulties to continue in the mid- and long-term if they would not have the justifications in the points of the nonproliferation, economic and safety views of fuel, fuel cycle and reactor. (author)