Optimization of the Korean nuclear fuel cycle using linear programming

Abstract

The Korean optimal nuclear fuel cycle strategy from the year 2000 to 2030 is searched using linear programming. Three criteria are considered: fuel cycle cost, economic risk, and natural uranium consumption. The three objectives are compromised by fuzzy decision technique which maximizes the minimum degree of satisfaction of the three objectives. The options of the back-end nuclear fuel cycle of Korea are direct disposal, reprocessing, and DUPIC. The annual maximum capacities of reprocessing and DUPIC are limited to 800 tons per year as a reference case and 400 tons per year as a lower case and 1,200 tons per year as a upper case. The optimal strategy of reference case is to start operation in 2010 and reach the maximum capacity in 2024. The transportation of spent fuel to interim storage starts in 2003. Considering the economic risk and natural uranium consumption as well as fuel cycle cost, the economic risk and natural uranium consumption of Korean nuclear fuel cycle strategy are reduced to 7.1\% and 6.1\% respectively at a cost penalty of 5.4\%. In all cases the recovered uranium is recycled in CANDU.