Economic optimization of MOX fuel

MOX fuel is used in LWRs to cope with the Pu arising from reprocessing plants. The reasons and incentives to utilize this Pu without delay have been widely published. This article concentrates on MOX fuel features of cost optimization importance. The incentive for immediate Pu recycling must be evaluated taking temporary Pu storage into account for later use or final disposal. Long-term Pu storage is economically unattractive. High discharge burn-ups improve significantly the MOX fuel economics relative to U fuel at the same discharge burn-up. 3 figs., 2 tabs., 7 refs