LAPSE:2023.34412
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.34412
The Fuel Cycle Implications of Nuclear Process Heat
Aiden Peakman, Robert Gregg
April 26, 2023
International and UK fuel cycle scenario analyses performed to date have focused on nuclear plants producing electricity without considering in detail the other potential drivers for nuclear power, such as industrial process heat. Part of the reason behind the restricted applications of nuclear power is because the assumptions behind the future scenario are not fully captured, for example how big are demands from different sectors? Here we present a means to fully capture the potential opportunities for nuclear power using Sankey diagrams and then, using this information, consider for the first time in the UK the fuel cycle implications of decarbonising industrial heat demand in the year 2050 with nuclear power using the ORION fuel cycle code to study attributes related to spent fuel, uranium demand and decay heat from the spent fuel. We show that even in high industrial energy demand scenarios, the sensitivity of spent fuel masses and decay heat to the types of reactor deployed is relatively small compared to the greater fuel cycle demands from large-scale deployment of nuclear plants for electricity production. However, the sensitivity of spent fuel volumes depends heavily on the extent to which High Temperature Reactor and Light Water Reactor systems operating on a once-through cycle are deployed.
Keywords
fuel cycle, HTR, Nuclear, ORION, process heat, SFR, SMR, spent nuclear fuel
Suggested Citation
Peakman A, Gregg R. The Fuel Cycle Implications of Nuclear Process Heat. (2023). LAPSE:2023.34412
Author Affiliations
Peakman A: National Nuclear Laboratory, Chadwick House, Warrington WA3 6AE, UK; School of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GH, UK [ORCID]
Gregg R: National Nuclear Laboratory, Chadwick House, Warrington WA3 6AE, UK
Journal Name
Energies
Volume
13
Issue
22
Article Number
E6073
Year
2020
Publication Date
2020-11-20
Published Version
ISSN
1996-1073
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Original Submission
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PII: en13226073, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.34412
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doi:10.3390/en13226073
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Apr 26, 2023
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CC BY 4.0
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Apr 26, 2023
 
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