Comparison of proliferation resistance among natural uranium, thorium–uranium, and thorium–plutonium fuels used in CANada Deuterium Uranium in deep geological repository by combining multiattribute utility analysis with transport model

Abstract

The proliferation resistance (PR) of Th/U and Th/Pu fuels used in CANada Deuterium Uranium for the deep geological repository was assessed by combining the multiattribute utility analysis proposed by Chirayath et al., 2015 [1] with the transport model of radionuclides in the repository and comparing with that of the used natural U fuel case. It was found that there was no significant advantage for Th/U and Th/Pu fuels from the viewpoint of the PR in the repository. It was also found that the PR values for used nuclear fuels in the repository of Th/U, Th/Pu, and natural U was comparable with those for enrichment and reprocessing facilities in the pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear fuel cycle. On the other hand, the PR values considering the transport of radionuclides in the repository were found to be slightly smaller than those without their transport after the used nuclear fuels started dissolving after 1,000 years. Keywords: CANada Deuterium Uranium Fuel Cycle, Deep Geological Repository, Multiattribute Utility Analysis, Proliferation Resistance, Transport Model of Radionuclides in Repository, Used Thorium Fuel Disposal