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once-through-results.tex
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once-through-results.tex
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The once-through transition scenarios are compared on multiple
criteria: the energy supplied by the reactors, the number of
advanced reactors deployed, the uranium resources required, the
amount of \gls{SWU} capacity required to enrich uranium, and the
mass of \gls{UNF} discharged. Each of these metrics can be used to inform
policies and decisions of potential deployment schedules and the
fuel cycle infrastructure required to support the deployment schedule.
Bachmann et al. \cite{bachmann_enrichment_2021} presents a subset of
these results for similar scenario definitions, except in that work
they assumed the
\glspl{LWR} operate for 60 years if they are not decommissioned before December
2020. This difference in
the assumed lifetime of the \glspl{LWR} impacts the energy demand,
the deployment schedule of advanced reactors, and the material
requirements of the advanced reactors because a different number of
\glspl{LWR} are operating when the transition begins. The results of
Scenario 1 (only \glspl{LWR} with no transition to advanced reactors)
are presented first. Then, each metric for the transition scenarios are
presented, first for the the no growth scenarios
(Scenarios 2-7) then for the 1\% growth scenarios (Scenarios
8-13).
\section{Scenario 1: LWRs only}\label{sec:scenario1}
Scenario 1 models only the \glspl{LWR} deployed in the United States with no
prescribed energy demand. This scenario provides insight on historical
requirements of the nuclear industry as well as future demands if the
US does not deploy any new reactors and decommissions current reactors at
their current license expiration. The
deployment and material requirements of the \glspl{LWR} will be the same
for each of the other scenarios (Scenarios 2-13). Therefore, analysis
of the other scenarios will focus on the requirements of
the advanced reactors deployed. The results of Scenarios 2-13
are compared with the results of Scenario 1 to provide a comparison
of material requirements between new and current reactors.
Figure \ref{fig:energy_reactor1} shows the number of
reactors deployed in Scenario 1 as a function of time and the energy
produced by the \glspl{LWR} each year. The energy produced by the
\glspl{LWR} scales with the number of reactors deployed, as
one would expect. This scenario deploys a maximum of 109
\glspl{LWR} at one time, producing
between 98.18-99.81 GWe-yr, and deploys 92 \glspl{LWR}
when the transition begins in January 2025. The first \gls{LWR} is
commissioned in August 1967, and all of the \glspl{LWR} are
decommissioned by October 2055. In 2025, the \glspl{LWR} produce
87.198 GWe-y of energy, which is the basis of the energy demand for
the other scenarios.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[scale=0.8]{s1_energy_reactors.pdf}
\caption{Energy supplied by \glspl{LWR} in Scenario 1 during each year of
the simulation compared to the number of reactors deployed.}
\label{fig:energy_reactor1}
\end{figure}
Figure \ref{fig:energy_reactor1} also shows historic data of the
energy generated by nuclear reactors in the US \cite{noauthor_total_2022}.
The energy in this simulation does not always match the historic data
because of differences in capacity factors. This work assumes that all
\glspl{LWR} operate at a 92.66\% capacity factor throughout their operation,
but the US nuclear fleet
has operated with a wide range of capacity factors because of planned outages
that last longer than 1 month and unplanned outages. However,
the difference between the simulation and the historic data are minimal
during the early 2020's because the capacity factors of the simulation
and the industry during this time are very similar.
The mass of enriched uranium sent to the \glspl{LWR} in this scenario (Figure
\ref{fig:fuel1}) follows the general pattern of the reactor deployment, but with
more variation between individual time steps. The increased variation between
time steps is because of the staggering of outages for the reactors, or when
they receive fuel. Times that receive more fuel correspond with more
\glspl{LWR} undergoing refueling outages. There are also times with large
increases in the mass of fuel
sent to the reactors, such as in 1996, because these times include the deployment
of a new reactor with a full core of fuel instead of the smaller amount
required for refueling.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[scale=0.8]{s1_uox.pdf}
\caption{Mass of enriched uranium supplied to the LWRs in Scenario 1 at each time step.}
\label{fig:fuel1}
\end{figure}
The maximum amount of enriched uranium sent to the \glspl{LWR} at any one
time in this scenario is 480.0 MTU, which occurs in the 1980s. The
average mass of enriched uranium sent to
\glspl{LWR} while they are deployed (1967-2055) is 135.65 MTU/month. The average
mass of
enriched uranium sent to the \glspl{LWR} between when they are first deployed
and 2025 is 164.57 MTU/month. This average is larger than what is reported in
\cite{bachmann_enrichment_2021} because the average reported by
Bachmann et al. accounts for the time before the \glspl{LWR} are
deployed while the average reported here does not. The average mass of
uranium sent to \glspl{LWR} between 2025-2055, from the start of the transition
to when they are all decommissioned is 81.48 MTU/month. Comparing the averages
shows that the vast majority of enriched uranium is sent to the \glspl{LWR}
before 2025, which matches with the decline in the number of \glspl{LWR}
deployed after 2020. After 2025, a cumulative total of 29,985 MTU is
sent to the \glspl{LWR},
which is less than the cumulative mass reported in \cite{bachmann_enrichment_2021}
because Bachmann et al. assumed that all \glspl{LWR} would operate for 60 years,
which is longer than the assumed operating time for some \glspl{LWR} in
this work. This scenario requires a cumulative total of 143,377 MT of enriched uranium.
The next metric of interest is the mass of natural uranium
required as feed material to produce the enriched uranium for the
reactors, shown in Figure \ref{fig:feed1}. The mass of feed uranium
is about an order of magnitude larger than the mass of the enriched uranium.
Scenario 1 requires a maximum of 2850 MT of
feed uranium at one time and an average of 1,088 MT/month of natural uranium
when \glspl{LWR} are deployed. Before 2025, this scenario requires an average of
1,320 MTU/month of natural uranium, and requires an average of 653.8 MTU/month
after 2025. In total, the \glspl{LWR} require 1,150,385 MT of feed uranium.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[scale=0.8]{s1_feed.pdf}
\caption{Mass of natural uranium required to produce fuel for the LWRs at each
time step in Scenario 1.}
\label{fig:feed1}
\end{figure}
Next is the \gls{SWU} capacity required
to produce the enriched uranium for the \glspl{LWR},
shown in Figure \ref{fig:swu1}. This scenario requires a maximum of 3,470
MT-SWU to
enrich the uranium sent to the reactors at one time step and an average of
981 MT-SWU/month to enrich all of the uranium sent to
the \glspl{LWR} when they are deployed. An average of
1189 MT-SWU/month is required to produce the enriched uranium
for \glspl{LWR} between their initial deployment and 2025, and
589.1 MT-SWU/month is needed to produce the
enriched uranium sent to \glspl{LWR} between 2025 and 2055. The values
reported here are different than what Bachmann et al. \cite{bachmann_enrichment_2021}
reports for a few different reasons. The first reason is that these results
consider only
the time steps in which the \glspl{LWR} are deployed (1967-2055) while Bachmann et al.
considers all time steps (1965-2090). The other reason
is the use of different enrichment levels for the \gls{LWR} fuel.
Bachmann et al. assumes an enrichment of 4.5\% while this work assumes 4.3\%
$^{235}$U enrichment for \gls{LWR} fuel.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[scale=0.8]{s1_swu.pdf}
\caption{SWU capacity required to enrich the uranium sent to LWRs at each time step in Scenario 1.}
\label{fig:swu1}
\end{figure}
The last metric is the \gls{UNF} discharged from the reactors as a function of
time (Figure \ref{fig:waste1}). The \glspl{LWR} discharge a maximum of 411.1 MT
of used fuel in one time step and an average of 130.0 MT/month when they are
deployed. Between the first \gls{LWR} deployment and 2025 the \glspl{LWR}
discharge an average of 149.1 MTU/month, and an average of 94.27 MT/month
between 2025-2055. The \glspl{LWR} discharge a total of 137,479 MT of \gls{UNF}
in Scenario 1.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[scale=0.8]{s1_waste.pdf}
\caption{Mass of used fuel discharged from the reactors in Scenario 1 as a function of time.}
\label{fig:waste1}
\end{figure}
Table \ref{tab:s1_results} summarizes all of the material needs of Scenario 1.
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Summary of material needs for Scenario 1. Averages listed
are for the duration that \glspl{LWR} are deployed (1967-2055).}
\label{tab:s1_results}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c}
\hline
Metric & Average & Cumulative & Maximum & Units \\\hline
Uranium mass & 135.6 & 143,377 & 480.0 & MT \\
Feed uranium mass & 1088 & 1,150,385 & 3850 & MT \\
SWU Capacity & 980.7 & -- & 3470 & MT-SWU \\
Waste discharged & 130.0 & 137,479 & 411 & MT \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
\section{Energy Generated} \label{sec:energy}
This section reports and compares the energy produced in the no growth and
1\% growth transition scenarios to the energy demand. This result
considers the energy produced by \glspl{LWR} and advanced reactors,
and compares the different scenarios based on any under- or
over-supply of energy present.
\subsection{No growth scenarios}
The energy demand in the no growth scenarios (Scenarios 2-7) is a constant
87.198 GWe-yr, based on the energy supplied by the reactors in Scenario 1
in 2025. The energy produced in each of these scenarios meets or exceeds the
demand, as Figure \ref{fig:nogrowth_energy} shows. There is little variation
in the amount of energy produced in each of these scenarios because refueling
outages are not explicitly modeled. All of the scenarios have an oversupply
of power in 2025, up to 0.2 GWe-yr (Table \ref{tab:nogrowth_energy}), before
dropping to a value closer to the energy demand. This initial oversupply
of 0.2 GWe-yr is a result of the energy demand being set based on the average
amount of energy the \glspl{LWR} supply over 2025. The \glspl{LWR} provide
slightly more than the demand in the first few months of 2025, and the
demand is met through \glspl{LWR} and advanced reactors in the later
months of the year.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\begin{subfigure}{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{nogrowth_energy_after_2025.pdf}
\caption{Annual energy produced compared to demand for Scenarios 2-7
between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_energy_after_2025}
\end{subfigure}
\hfill
\begin{subfigure}{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{nogrowth_energy_gap.pdf}
\caption{Gap between energy demand and energy produced by reactors
in Scenarios 2-7 between 2025-2090. Positive values indicate an
undersupply of energy and negative values represent an
oversupply of energy.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_energy_gap}
\end{subfigure}
\caption{Annual energy produced compared to demand in Scenarios 2-7.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_energy}
\end{figure}
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Maximum undersupply and oversupply of energy in Scenarios 2-7.}
\label{tab:nogrowth_energy}
\begin{tabular}{c c c}
\hline
Scenario & Maximum oversupply (GWe-yr) & Maximum undersupply (GWe-yr) \\
\hline
2 & 0.195 & 0.000 \\
3 & 0.209 & 0.000 \\
4 & 0.195 & 0.000 \\
5 & 0.195 & 0.000 \\
6 & 0.208 & 0.000 \\
7 & 0.195 & 0.000 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
Scenarios 3 and 6 produce an
oversupply of energy because these scenarios only deploy the Xe-100 and VOYGR,
which have a larger power output than the \gls{MMR}. Therefore,
their deployment can't be used to fine-tune meeting an energy demand. The oversupply
of energy in each of these scenarios ranges between 15-69 MWe-yr, which is less
than the power output of the Xe-100 and VOYGR and demonstrates the round-up
aspect of the deployment scheme in this work.
\subsection{1\% growth scenarios}
In the 1\% growth scenarios, the energy demand is always
met or exceeded, as shown in Figure \ref{fig:1percent_energy}. There is an
initial oversupply of energy, which is consistent with the
results energy produced in the no growth scenarios. The
maximum oversupply of energy among the 1\% growth scenarios
(Table \ref{tab:1percent_energy}) is 0.436 GWe-yr, which is more
than the maximum oversupply of energy in the no growth
scenarios.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{1percent_energy_after_2025.pdf}
\caption{Annual energy produced compared to demand for Scenarios 8-13
between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:1percent_energy_after_2025}
\end{subfigure}
\hfill
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{1percent_energy_gap.pdf}
\caption{Gap between energy demand and energy produced in Scenarios 8-13
between 2025-2090. Positive values represents an undersupply of energy
and negative values represents an oversupply of energy. }
\label{fig:1percent_energy_gap}
\end{subfigure}
\caption{Annual energy produced compared to demand in Scenarios 8-13.}
\label{fig:1percent_energy}
\end{figure}
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Maximum undersupply and oversupply of energy in Scenarios 8-13.}
\label{tab:1percent_energy}
\begin{tabular}{c c c}
\hline
Scenario & Maximum oversupply (GWe-yr) & Maximum undersupply (GWe-yr) \\
\hline
8 & 0.406 & 0.000 \\
9 & 0.424 & 0.000 \\
10 & 0.406 & 0.000 \\
11 & 0.406 & 0.000 \\
12 & 0.436 & 0.000 \\
13 & 0.406 & 0.000 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
There is consistency in the amount of energy oversupply between scenarios that deploy similar reactors.
All of the scenarios that deploy \glspl{MMR} (Scenarios 8, 10, 11, and 13) have the
same over maximum oversupply of energy, and the other two scenarios
have similar maximum oversupplies of energy. This consistency
is a result of the deployment scheme deploying the reactor with the
smallest power output last to meet any remaining demand.
\section{Reactor deployment}
The different power output of each advanced reactor leads to different
requirements in the number of advanced reactors deployed in each transition
scenario.
This section compares the scenarios on the number of advanced reactors
built. This metric takes two
different forms: the number of reactors that are in the simulation at
one time and the number of reactors that are built (enter the simulation)
in a single time step. These metrics combined provide insight into the
number of reactors needed and the rate at which to build them.
\subsection{No growth scenarios} \label{sec:nogrowth_reactors}
Advanced reactors are first deployed in September 2025 for Scenario 2-7,
9 months after the transition start time. The advanced reactor initial
deployment time is more than six years earlier than the initial deployment
time reported for no growth scenarios in the work by Bachmann et al.
\cite{bachmann_enrichment_2021}. The differences in deployment times results
from different deployment schemes (Bachmann et al. used the \Cycamore
\texttt{ManagerInst} institution to deploy advanced reactors to match installed
capacity to a demand in energy generation), different power output from
the \gls{MMR} and Xe-100, and a different energy demand
(resulting from different assumptions of how long \glspl{LWR} operate).
The number of reactors deployed varies based on
the reactors deployed in each scenario and scales with the power output of
each type of reactor, as shown in Figure \ref{fig:nogrowth_reactors}. Scenario
2 requires the most reactors, requiring 17,440 reactors at one time,
because the \gls{MMR} has the smallest power output of the reactors
considered in this work. Scenario 3 requires the fewest
advanced reactors (1148) because this scenario only deploys the Xe-100,
which has the largest power output.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{nogrowth_reactors.pdf}
\caption{Total number of advanced reactors deployed at
each time step in Scenarios 2-7 between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_reactors_all}
\end{subfigure}
\hfill
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{nogrowth_reactors_3-7.pdf}
\caption{Total number of advanced reactors deployed at
each time step in Scenario 3-7 between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_reactors_3-7}
\end{subfigure}
\caption{Number of advanced reactors deployed at each time step
for Scenarios 2-7. The figures begin at 2025, because no advanced
reactors are deployed before then. In the right figure Scenario
2 is removed to highlight the trends in the other scenarios.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_reactors}
\end{figure}
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Maximum number of reactors deployed at one time in
Scenarios 2-7.}
\label{tab:reactors_nogrowth}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c}
\hline
Scenario & \glspl{MMR} [\#] & Xe-100s [\#] & VOYGRs [\#]
& Total [\#]\\\hline
2 & 17,440 & - & - & 17,440\\
3 & - & 1,148 & - & 1,148\\
4 & 629 & 1,106 & - & 1,735\\
5 & 636 & - & 1,151 & 1,787\\
6 & - & 1,070 & 81 & 1,151\\
7 & 542 & 1,105 & 7 & 1,654\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
All of the scenarios have a constant number of advanced reactors
deployed starting in October 2055 because all of the \glspl{LWR} are
decommissioned by this time and the deployment scheme replaces advanced
reactors with a reactor of the same design. The number of Xe-100s and VOYGRs combined
in each scenario is similar, about 1,100, because these two reactor
designs have similar power outputs (80 MWe and 77 MWe, respectively).
Therefore, the deployment of one over the other does
not greatly affect the total number of reactors deployed to meet the
energy demand. However,
deploying them in tandem reduces the number of \glspl{MMR} deployed
(Scenarios 4 and 5 compared with Scenario 7).
Scenarios 4, 6, and 7 primarily deploy Xe-100s and Scenario 5 primarily deploys
VOYGRs as a result of the deployment scheme used in this work. The Xe-100 and
VOYGR have the largest power output of the reactors deployed in each of those
scenarios, and are therefore preferentially deployed in each of these scenarios.
This preferential deployment leads to these reactors supplying most of
the energy in each scenario.
In addition to the total number of advanced reactors deployed
at each time, the maximum number of each advanced reactor deployed in a
single time step is reported in Table
\ref{tab:reactors_added_nogrowth}. This information provides insight
into the speed at which new reactors must be built. For scenarios with
multiple advanced reactors, the numbers reported do not necessarily occur
in the same time step. Scenario 2 requires
the largest number of reactors to be deployed at a single time, because
the \gls{MMR} has the smallest power output. Scenarios 3 and
6 deploy the fewest reactors in
a single time step, based on the total column of Table
\ref{tab:reactors_added_nogrowth}, because of the large power output from
the Xe-100 and VOYGR.
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Maximum number of reactors added to the simulation at a
single time step in Scenarios 2-7.}
\label{tab:reactors_added_nogrowth}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c}
\hline
Scenario & \glspl{MMR} [\#]& Xe-100s [\#]& VOYGRs [\#]
& Total[\#]\\\hline
2 & 856 & - & - & 856\\
3 & - & 46 & - & 46\\
4 & 16 & 46 & - & 52\\
5 & 24 & - & 47 & 66\\
6 & - & 45 & 1 & 46\\
7 & 16 & 46 & 1 & 52\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
\subsection{1\% growth scenarios} \label{sec:1percent_reactors}
All of the 1\% growth scenarios deploy advanced reactors beginning
in May 2027, which is 32 months (almost three years) before their initial
deployment reported by Bachmann et al. for a 1\% growth transition
\cite{bachmann_enrichment_2021}.
Transitioning to only the
\gls{MMR} (Scenario 8) requires the largest number of reactors, and
transitioning to only the Xe-100 (Scenario 9) requires the fewest
number of advanced reactors (Figure \ref{fig:1percent_reactors}, Table
\ref{tab:reactors_1percent}). Scenarios 10 and 13 have similar numbers of
reactors deployed, as do Scenarios 9 and 12, because these pairing differ
by the inclusion of the VOYGR which has a similar power output to the
Xe-100.
Compared with the no growth scenarios, \glspl{MMR} are a greater
fraction of the total number of reactors deployed when they are deployed
with the other reactors (Scenarios 10, 11, and 13). This increase is
because early in the transition, the growth of the energy demand
changes in increments smaller than the power output of the Xe-100 and
VOYGR. Therefore, the deployment scheme of this work dictates the
deployment of \glspl{MMR} to fulfill the unmet demand.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{1percent_reactors.pdf}
\caption{Total number of advanced reactors deployed at
each time step in Scenarios 8-13 between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:1percent_reactors_all}
\end{subfigure}
\hfill
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{1percent_reactors_9-13.pdf}
\caption{Total number of advanced reactors deployed at
each time step in Scenario 9-13 between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:1percent_reactors_9-13}
\end{subfigure}
\caption{Number of advanced reactors deployed at each time step
for Scenarios 8-13. The figures begin at 2025, because no advanced
reactors are deployed before then. In the right figure Scenario
8 is removed to help highlight the trends in the other scenarios.}
\label{fig:1percent_reactors}
\end{figure}
\begin{table}
\centering
\caption{Maximum number of advanced reactors deployed in Scenarios 8-13.}
\label{tab:reactors_1percent}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c}
\hline
Scenario & \glspl{MMR} [\#]& Xe-100s [\#]& VOYGRs [\#]
& Total [\#]\\\hline
8 & 33,265 & - & - & 33,265\\
9 & - & 2,189 & - & 2,189 \\
10 & 5,798 & 1,807 & - & 7,605\\
11 & 5,627 & - & 1,893 & 7,520\\
12 & - & 1,420 & 801 & 2,221\\
13 & 5,228 & 1,809 & 37 & 7,704\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
The number
of reactors deployed in the simulation increases with time,
partly because of the growth in the energy demand and partly
because of the deployment scheme. The deployment scheme
dictates that the largest reactor is preferentially deployed to
meet unmet energy demand. This unmet energy demand is determined
after decommissioned advanced reactors are replaced with an
equal number of the same type of advanced reactor. The \gls{MMR}
has the shortest lifetime, in addition to the smallest power
output. Therefore, the \glspl{MMR} in the scenarios are replaced with more
\glspl{MMR}, instead of potentially being replaced with a larger
reactor if there is enough unmet demand in the time step from
\gls{MMR} decommissioning or demand growth.
This aspect of the deployment scheme artificially
inflates the number of \glspl{MMR} deployed in each scenario,
which leads to the \glspl{MMR} having a larger effect on the
material requirements of each scenario.
Regarding the rate of reactor deployment, Scenario 8 deploys the most
reactors in a single time step (Table
\ref{tab:reactors_added_1percent}), with 936 \glspl{MMR} deployed at once.
Scenario 13 requires the next largest number of reactors deployed in
a single time step, 58 total advanced reactors built.
The maximum number of Xe-100s and VOYGRs deployed in a single time
step in the 1\% growth scenarios are similar to the numbers required
for the no growth scenarios. But the number of \glspl{MMR}
deployed for a single time step are at least twice the numbers
for the no growth scenarios. The increase in the number of
\glspl{MMR} highlights to \glspl{MMR} providing an inflated
share of the energy demand in the 1\% growth scenarios.
\begin{table}
\centering
\caption{Maximum number of advanced reactors deployed in a single
time step for Scenarios 8-13.}
\label{tab:reactors_added_1percent}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c}
\hline
Scenario & \glspl{MMR} [\#] & Xe-100s [\#] & VOYGRs [\#]
& Total [\#]\\\hline
8 & 936 & - & - & 936\\
9 & - & 47 & - & 47\\
10 & 49 & 47 & - & 56\\
11 & 49 & - & 49 & 56\\
12 & - & 47 & 3 & 48\\
13 & 46 & 47 & 1 & 58\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
\section{Uranium resources}
This metric considers
both the mass of enriched uranium and the mass of natural uranium feed
required by each scenario. The feed uranium masses
considered are the masses needed at an enrichment facility,
and does not account for any process losses during a milling process
or the grade of the uranium ore. Therefore, the values reported are
not the same as what would need to be mined. Additionally, the
enriched uranium masses reported do not account for
any fuel fabrication losses, which others have previously assumed to
be 0.1\% \cite{wigeland_nuclear_2014}. Using these assumptions
still yields reasonable estimates of the uranium resources
required in each scenario.
The masses of uranium resources are divided into four
different metrics: the average monthly mass of uranium to supply all
advanced reactors, the average monthly mass of \gls{HALEU}, the
maximum mass of uranium required by all advanced
reactors in a single time step, and the cumulative mass required by
advanced reactors in the
scenario. Each of these metrics provide information
on how to design facilities, such as the average facility capacity
required to meet the average demand and peaks in demand. The monthly
averages are calculated beginning in January 2025,
when the transition begins but not when the advanced reactors
are first deployed. Therefore, the reported averages are slightly lower
than if they were calculated starting at the advanced reactor deployment
time. This reporting methodology provides an average for if
facilities are built to support the front-end of the \gls{NFC} starting
in January 2025. Additionally, these metrics do not account for any
extra fuel assemblies or \gls{TRISO} pebbles kept on site as
reserve fuel.
\subsection{No growth scenarios}
\subsubsection{Enriched uranium}
The mass of enriched uranium sent to reactors (Fig. \ref{fig:nogrowth_uranium})
varies based on the advanced reactors deployed in the scenario.
Scenario 5 has the largest average mass of enriched uranium sent to
reactors each month, followed by Scenario 2 (Table
\ref{tab:nogrowth_uranium}).
Scenario 2 also requires the largest mass of enriched uranium sent
to advanced reactors at one time, followed by Scenario 5.
Scenario 3 requires the smallest average
mass of enriched uranium. Scenarios 3, 4, and 7
have similar monthly averages for enriched uranium mass. All of the
scenarios require a smaller
average mass of enriched uranium than the \glspl{LWR} before 2025.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{nogrowth_uranium.pdf}
\caption{Monthly mass sent to all reactors
between 1965-2090.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_all_uranium}
\end{subfigure}
\hfill
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{nogrowth_AR_uranium.pdf}
\caption{Annual average mass sent to
advanced reactors between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_AR_uranium}
\end{subfigure}
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{nogrowth_uranium_cumulative.pdf}
\caption{Cumulative mass sent to advanced reactors between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_uranium_cumulative}
\end{subfigure}
\caption{Mass of enriched uranium required by reactors
in Scenarios 2-7.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_uranium}
\end{figure}
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Metrics for enriched uranium sent to advanced
reactors between 2025-2090 in Scenarios 2-7.}
\label{tab:nogrowth_uranium}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c}
\hline
Scenario & Average (MT/month) & \gls{HALEU} Average
(MT/month) & Maximum (MT)& Cumulative (MT)\\\hline
2 & 88.16 & 88.16 & 1,139 & 68,674\\
3 & 32.96 & 32.96 & 90.50 & 25,676\\
4 & 34.94 & 34.94 & 95.41 & 27,222\\
5 & 166.5 & 3.198 & 568.1 & 129,704\\
6 & 42.36 & 30.69 & 106.2 & 33,000\\
7 & 35.39 & 34.50 & 95.41 & 27,572\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
The uranium usage of each advanced reactor dictates the uranium requirements
of each scenario. The \gls{MMR} has the smallest specific power (thermal
power per unit mass) for a single core mass and the Xe-100 has the largest
specific power. This metric means that to meet the same thermal power
output, the Xe-100 will require the least uranium mass, followed by the
VOYGR then the \gls{MMR}. However, this does not include any fuel needed for
refueling. The \gls{MMR} does not need any uranium for refueling, but the
Xe-100 and VOYGR do. The Xe-100 requires a smaller mass for each refueling
than the VOYGR and a smaller mass over the same amount of time. Therefore,
the VOYGR requires the most mass over a given period of time to produce
a certain amount of power (accounting for refueling schemes and power
output). This larger mass requirement of the VOYGR leads to the
masses required by Scenario 5, which primarily deploys VOYGRs, and
contributes to the larger mass of enriched uranium in Scenario 6, compared
with Scenario 7.
Comparing the \gls{MMR} and Xe-100, the Xe-100 requires less uranium than
the \gls{MMR},
and the least of all three advanced reactors, over a given period of time
to produce a given amount of power. The reduced uranium mass results
from the high burnup of the Xe-100, so the reactor gets more energy out of
each mass of fuel and has a larger power output. This reduced uranium mass
required by the Xe-100 leads to Scenario 3, which only deploys the
Xe-100, to require the least uranium. Scenarios 4, 6, and 7 require similar
masses of uranium because Xe-100s constitute a majority of the advanced
reactors deployed and largely control the uranium required.
Scenario 2 requires the largest average mass of \gls{HALEU}, because
of the large number of \glspl{MMR} deployed in this scenario. Scenario
5 requires the smallest average mass of \gls{HALEU}, despite requiring the
largest average mass of enriched uranium, because most of the
reactors in Scenario 5 are VOYGRs which do not require \gls{HALEU}.
All of the other scenarios (Scenarios 3, 4, 6, and 7) require similar
average masses of uranium and \gls{HALEU} because they deploy similar
numbers for each type of reactor.
Scenarios 2 and 5 require the largest mass of enriched uranium at a single
time step. For Scenario 2, the large difference between the average and
maximum amount of uranium is because of the refueling scheme for the
\gls{MMR}. The \gls{MMR} only requires fuel when it is first being
commissioned, therefore they do not require uranium at time periods in
which
new reactors are not deployed. The \gls{MMR} refueling scheme also
causes the variation in the monthly requirements and annual averages of
enriched uranium masses. The large difference between the
monthly average and the maximum presents challenges in designing enrichment
and fuel fabrication facilities
to meet the demand. Designing such facilities would have to consider the
material demands while also limiting the amount of stockpiled enriched
uranium at each the facility, as idle stockpiles of enriched uranium
poses a proliferation risk.
Finally, Scenario 5 requires the largest cumulative mass of enriched uranium
for the no growth scenarios, because the VOYGR requires more uranium than
the other two reactors and this scenario primarily deploys VOYGRs. Scenario 3
requires the smallest cumulative
mass of enriched uranium, because the Xe-100 requires the smallest mass of
uranium of the advanced reactors. The advanced reactors
in all of these scenarios require a smaller cumulative mass of fuel than
the \glspl{LWR}. Additionally, deploying the VOYGR in tandem with the other
advanced reactors results in an increase in the cumulative mass
of enriched uranium needed (e.g., Scenario 3 compared with Scenario 6). This
trend suggests that deploying VOYGRs increases the enriched uranium needs
of the fuel cycle, even if it decreases the amount of \gls{HALEU} needed.
The cumulative \gls{HALEU} need by 2050 for each scenario (Table
\ref{tab:nogrowth_haleu}) is similar to the mass reported by
Dixon et al. \cite{dixon_estimated_2022}, 5350 MTU, with the exception
of Scenarios 2 and 5. Scenario 2 requires a greater cumulative mass of
\gls{HALEU} because of the large number of \glspl{MMR} deployed. Scenario
5 requires a much lower mass of \gls{HALEU} because this scenario mostly
deploys VOYGRs.
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Cumulative HALEU needs by 2050 for Scenarios 2-7.}
\label{tab:nogrowth_haleu}
\begin{tabular}{c c}
\hline
Scenario & Cumulative mass (MT) \\
\hline
2 & 22,223\\
3 & 5,936 \\
4 & 6,529 \\
5 & 798 \\
6 & 5,509 \\
7 & 6,430 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
Comparing the \gls{MMR} and Xe-100, the Xe-100 requires less uranium than
the \gls{MMR},
and the least of all three advanced reactors, over a given period of time
to produce a given amount of power. The reduced uranium mass results
from the high burnup of the Xe-100, so the reactor gets more energy out of
each mass of fuel and has a larger power output. This reduced uranium mass
required by the Xe-100 leads to Scenario 3 requiring the least
enriched uranium by deploying only Xe-100s. Scenarios 4, 6, and 7 require similar
masses of uranium because Xe-100s constitute a majority of the advanced
reactors deployed and largely control the uranium required.
Scenario 2 requires the largest average mass of \gls{HALEU}, because
of the large number of \glspl{MMR} deployed in this scenario. Scenario
5 requires the smallest average mass of \gls{HALEU}, despite requiring the
largest average mass of enriched uranium, because most of the
reactors in Scenario 5 are VOYGRs which do not require \gls{HALEU}.
All of the other scenarios (Scenarios 3, 4, 6, and 7) require similar
average masses of uranium and \gls{HALEU} because they deploy similar
numbers for each type of reactor.
Scenarios 2 and 5 require the largest mass of enriched uranium at a single
time step. For Scenario 2, the large difference between the average and
maximum amount of uranium is because of the refueling scheme for the
\gls{MMR}. The \gls{MMR} only requires fuel when it is first being
commissioned, therefore they do not require uranium at time periods in
which
new reactors are not deployed. Additionally, the \gls{MMR} refueling scheme
causes the variation in the monthly requirements and annual averages of
enriched uranium masses observed in Figure \ref{fig:nogrowth_uranium}.
The large difference between the
monthly average and the maximum presents challenges in designing enrichment
and fuel fabrication facilities
to meet the demand. Designing such facilities would have to consider the
material demands and lead times while also limiting the amount of stockpiled enriched
uranium at each the facility, as idle stockpiles of enriched uranium
poses a proliferation risk.
Finally, Scenario 5 requires the largest cumulative mass of enriched uranium
for the no growth scenarios, because the VOYGR requires more uranium than
the other two reactors and this scenario primarily deploys VOYGRs. Scenario 3
requires the smallest cumulative
mass of enriched uranium, because the Xe-100 requires the smallest mass of
uranium of the advanced reactors. The advanced reactors
in all of these scenarios require a smaller cumulative mass of fuel than
the \glspl{LWR}. Additionally, deploying the VOYGR in tandem with the other
advanced reactors results in an increase in the cumulative mass
of enriched uranium needed (e.g., Scenario 3 compared with Scenario 6). This
trend suggests that deploying VOYGRs increases the enriched uranium needs
of the fuel cycle, even if it decreases the amount of \gls{HALEU} needed.
The cumulative \gls{HALEU} need by 2050 for each scenario (Table
\ref{tab:nogrowth_haleu}) is similar to the mass reported by
Dixon et al. \cite{dixon_estimated_2022}, 5350 MTU, with the exception
of Scenarios 2 and 5. Scenario 2 requires a greater cumulative mass of
\gls{HALEU} because of the large number of \glspl{MMR} deployed. Scenario
5 requires a much lower mass of \gls{HALEU} because this scenario primarily
deploys VOYGRs.
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Cumulative HALEU needs by 2050 for Scenarios 2-7.}
\label{tab:nogrowth_haleu}
\begin{tabular}{c c}
\hline
Scenario & Cumulative mass (MT) \\
\hline
2 & 22,223\\
3 & 5,936 \\
4 & 6,529 \\
5 & 798 \\
6 & 5,509 \\
7 & 6,430 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
\subsubsection{Feed uranium}
For the mass of feed uranium, Scenario 2 requires the largest average mass
to supply the advanced reactors (Figure \ref{fig:nogrowth_feed}, Table
\ref{tab:nogrowth_feed}). Scenario 2 requires the most feed uranium
because it requires more enriched uranium than most
of the other no growth scenarios and it requires the highest product
assay. As shown by Eq. \ref{eq:enrichment_assasys}, as the product assay
increases, the mass of feed uranium increases, assuming all other
variables are constant. Therefore, the combination of an increased product
mass and an increased product assay results in a large increase in the feed
mass required. Scenario 5 requires the next largest average
mass of feed uranium. This scenario requires less feed uranium than Scenario 2
because
most of the product uranium for this scenario is for the VOYGRs, which
require a lower enrichment assay than the \glspl{MMR}. Based on Eq.
\ref{eq:enrichment_assasys}, a lower product assay results in
a lower mass of feed material required. The decrease in the product
assay overpowers the increase in feed required by the increased product mass.
Scenario 5 still requires more feed
material than the other scenarios because the average product mass required
is much larger than the other scenarios, which offsets some of the decrease
in feed material from the decrease in the product assay.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{nogrowth_feed.pdf}
\caption{Monthly mass to support all reactors between 1965-2090.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_all_feed}
\end{subfigure}
\hfill
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{nogrowth_AR_feed.pdf}
\caption{Annual average mass to support
advanced reactors between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_AR_feed}
\end{subfigure}
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{nogrowth_feed_cumulative.pdf}
\caption{Cumulative mass to support advanced reactors between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_feed_cumulative}
\end{subfigure}
\caption{Mass of feed uranium required to produce enriched uranium
in Scenarios 2-7.}
\label{fig:nogrowth_feed}
\end{figure}
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Metrics for feed uranium required by advanced reactors
between 2025-2090 in Scenarios 2-7.}
\label{tab:nogrowth_feed}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c}
\hline
Scenario & Average (MT/month) & \gls{HALEU} Average
(MT/month) & Maximum (MT) & Cumulative (MT)\\\hline
2 & 3,372 & 3,372 & 43,612 & 2,627,374\\
3 & 986.9 & 986.9 & 2,710 & 768,793\\
4 & 1,073 & 1,073 & 2,912 & 835,887\\
5 & 1,365 & 122.4 & 4,896 & 1,063,737\\
6 & 1,008 & 918.9 & 2,768 & 785,020\\
7 & 1,063 & 1,056 & 2,912 & 828,036\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
When comparing the feed material to create \gls{HALEU} in each scenario,
Scenario 2 requires the most feed material because this scenario
requires the largest average mass of \gls{HALEU} and \gls{HALEU} at the
highest product assay. Scenario 5 requires the least feed material for
\gls{HALEU} because the majority of
the reactors in this scenario are VOYGRs.
Additionally, fueling the Xe-100 requires less feed uranium than fueling
the \gls{MMR} because the Xe-100 requires a lower product assay and a
smaller product mass per core.
Scenarios 3, 4, and 7 require similar feed uranium masses (about 1,000
MTU/month). Deploying VOYGRs alongside the other advanced
reactors (e.g., between Scenarios 3 and 6) decreases the average
mass of feed uranium to create \gls{HALEU}. Deploying VOYGRs decreases the
average of all feed uranium if \glspl{MMR} are also deployed, because the
decrease in product assay between these reactors offsets the increase in
total product mass when calculating the feed mass.
The maximum feed uranium required by each scenario poses some
challenge in facility design. The maximum feed uranium required varies
between 2.7-12.9 times larger than the average feed material, which means
facilities that produce feed uranium will likely need to be designed with a
larger capacity than the average feed uranium required to meet the peaks.
The cumulative mass of feed uranium required by each scenario ranges between
737,000-978,000 MT for every scenario except Scenario 2.
Scenario 2 requires over 2.64 million MT, which is more feed uranium
than what is required by the \glspl{LWR}. The \gls{EIA} reports
about 176,000 MT of U$_3$O$_8$ reserves in the US available at up to
\$100/pound at the end of 2019 \cite{us_energy_information_administration_2020_2021},
or about
149,000 MT of uranium, which is smaller than the cumulative needs for
all of these scenarios. Therefore, the US would have to consider either uranium
from international sources or uranium reserves at increased
prices to meet the cumulative demand of feed
uranium for each of these scenarios.
\subsection{1\% growth scenarios}
\subsubsection{Enriched uranium}
The trends observed in the 1\% growth scenarios match the trends
observed with the no growth scenarios that deploy the same reactor
types (i.e., Scenarios 2 and 8), as shown in
Figure \ref{fig:1percent_uranium} and Table \ref{tab:1percent_uranium}.
Scenario 11 requires the largest average mass of enriched uranium, and Scenario
8 requires the next largest average. Scenario 8 requires the largest
average mass of \gls{HALEU}, while Scenario 11 requires the least. Scenario
8 requires an average of 141.8 MT of \gls{HALEU} per month, Scenario
9 requires the
smallest monthly average of enriched uranium, because this scenario
deploys the least number of reactors, and the Xe-100 requires the smallest
mass of fuel in the core.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{1percent_uranium.pdf}
\caption{Monthly mass sent to all reactors between 1965-2090.}
\label{fig:1percent_all_uranium}
\end{subfigure}
\hfill
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{1percent_AR_uranium.pdf}
\caption{Annual average mass sent to
advanced reactors between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:1percent_AR_uranium}
\end{subfigure}
\begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{1percent_uranium_cumulative.pdf}
\caption{Cumulative mass sent to advanced reactors
between 2025-2090.}
\label{fig:1percent_uranium_cumulative}
\end{subfigure}
\caption{Mass of enriched uranium required by reactors
in Scenarios 8-13.}
\label{fig:1percent_uranium}
\end{figure}
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Metrics for enriched uranium required by advanced reactors
between 2025-2090 in Scenarios 8-13.}
\label{tab:1percent_uranium}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c}
\hline
Scenario & Average (MT/month) & \gls{HALEU} Average
(MT/month) & Maximum (MT) & Cumulative (MT)\\\hline
8 & 141.8 & 141.8 & 1,246 & 110,486\\
9 & 51.47 & 51.47 & 112.50 & 40,097\\
10 & 65.01 & 65.01 & 145.6 & 50,643\\
11 & 251.1 & 18.93 & 606.2 & 195,645\\
12 & 114.1 & 36.42 & 237.7 & 88,910\\
13 & 68.19 & 61.98 & 157.8 & 53,118\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
Scenario 12 requires a larger monthly average mass of enriched uranium
than Scenarios 9, 10, and 13. The no growth scenarios exhibit this result
as well, but it is more pronounced in the 1\% growth scenarios (comparing
Figures \ref{fig:nogrowth_uranium} and \ref{fig:1percent_uranium}).
The more pronounced result in the 1\% growth scenarios is a result of the difference
in energy demand and the deployment scheme. Scenarios 6 and 12 deploy the
Xe-100 and the VOYGR. The increase in energy demand in Scenario 12 results
in more VOYGRs deployed relative to the number of Xe-100s deployed.
The VOYGR meeting more of the energy demand in Scenario 12 and the VOYGR
requiring more enriched uranium than the Xe-100 lead to more
enriched uranium needed for Scenario 12, relative to other scenarios
that deploy Xe-100s.
The maximum mass of enriched uranium required in each scenario ranges
between 2.2-8.8 times the average monthly mass, which is a smaller ratio