Small modular reactors (SMRs) are currently being considered as future investments for commercial entities due to perceived advantages over traditional large-scale power reactors, particularly their considerably lower capital costs. One strategy for lowering the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of SMRs is to increase their burnup by utilizing high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuels, which range from 5 to 20 weight percent (w/o) of U-235. By increasing fuel enrichment to HALEU levels, with higher specific fuel costs compared to standard enrichment, a plant may achieve an increased capacity factor by extending its fuel cycle and thereby reducing average yearly fuel supply costs. It is expected that the benefits of optimizing fuel enrichment to extend a reactor’s fuel cycle outweigh the added cost due to more expensive fuel. In this paper, the net benefit of extending an SMR’s fuel cycle by enriching uranium fuel to HALEU levels was estimated using 2017 nuclear fuel production market data with NuScale’s 160 MWt SMR design as a case study. It was found that, for NuScale’s design, plant LCOE decreased with increasing cycle length enabled by higher fuel enrichment. It was also observed that doubling cycle time from 24 months to 48 months netted each reactor a 1.23 $/MWh reduction in LCOE. The total savings for a 12-module SMR design were estimated to be around $5,840,000 per year. Therefore, utilizing HALEU fuel in SMRs can vastly improve their economic efficiency.

中文翻译：

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小型模块化反应堆HALEU燃料的经济成本评估

由于与传统的大型动力反应堆相比，小型模块化反应堆（SMR）具有明显的优势，特别是其相当低的投资成本，目前正被视为商业实体的未来投资。降低SMR的平均电费（LCOE）的一种策略是通过使用高含量低浓铀（HALEU）燃料来增加燃耗，U-235的重量百分比为5至20重量百分比（w / o） 。通过将燃料浓缩度提高到HALEU水平，比标准浓缩度具有更高的比燃料成本，工厂可以通过延长其燃料循环并由此降低年均燃料供应成本来实现容量系数的提高。可以预期，由于燃料更昂贵，优化燃料浓缩以延长反应堆燃料循环的好处将超过增加的成本。在本文中，通过将NuScale的160 MWt SMR设计作为案例研究，使用2017年核燃料生产市场数据估算了通过将铀燃料浓缩至HALEU水平来延长SMR燃料循环的净收益。已经发现，对于NuScale的设计，由于较高的燃料富集，随着周期长度的增加，工厂的LCOE会降低。还观察到，将循环时间从24个月增加到48个月，可使每个反应堆的LCOE降低1.23 $ / MWh。12个模块的SMR设计每年总共节省约584万美元。因此，在SMR中使用HALEU燃料可以大大提高其经济效率。对于NuScale的设计，由于更高的燃料浓缩量，工厂的LCOE随着循环周期的增加而降低。还观察到，将循环时间从24个月增加到48个月，可使每个反应堆的LCOE降低1.23 $ / MWh。12个模块的SMR设计每年总共节省约584万美元。因此，在SMR中使用HALEU燃料可以大大提高其经济效率。对于NuScale的设计，由于更高的燃料浓缩量，工厂的LCOE随着循环周期的增加而降低。还观察到，将循环时间从24个月增加到48个月，可使每个反应堆的LCOE降低1.23 $ / MWh。12个模块的SMR设计每年总共节省约584万美元。因此，在SMR中使用HALEU燃料可以大大提高其经济效率。