The computer program 'TOBAS' for nuclear fuel production and power generation industry optimization

The program TOBAS aims at optimizing the activities in separate industry branches which are functionally linked. It generates in an automatic mode the models of industries of any configuration (nuclear power generation, uranium ore mining and enrichment, uranium inversion and separation of its isotopes, fuel rods and assemblies fabrication, chemical treatment of irradiated materials, etc.). The parameters describing the problem are introduced as input data and an optimum decision based on the given input data is generated as output data, namely the technology intensities, technology and resources costs. The algorithms included in TOBAS are able to solve very sophisticated optimization task, as for instance, nonlinear, partly integer dynamic task of non convex mathematical programming. An optimization task is illustrated by the case of nuclear fuel industry. All the branches of the fuel industry are described by complicate nonlinear models and include: the branch of mining and natural U ore enrichment, the branch of U isotope separation, the branch of fuel, shielding elements and assemblies fabrication and the branch of chemical reprocessing of irradiated materials which are unloaded from nuclear reactors. If, in designing a new mechanism or creating a new technology, the designer has the optimum system prices of all the resources involved in the project, the market induced risks will be avoided. At present the program TOBAS is used for accumulation of data base containing the optimum plans of Russian and foreign power industries and of database for optimum system prices of resources. (author)