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Front-end nuclear fuel supply cooperation: Turning allied interdependence into strategic advantage
The global nuclear revival, which is fueled by unprecedented demand for firm, affordable, dispatchable power for artificial intelligence and data center build-out, energy security imperatives, and climate commitments, has exposed a structural reality of the Western fuel cycle: No single allied nation currently possesses the full suite of front-end capabilities. From mining through conversion, enrichment, fabrication, and the emerging deconversion and metallization steps required for reactor fuels, capability is distributed across Canada, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States (collectively, the “Sapporo Five”), as well as a small group of close partners.
Koichi Sekimizu, Kazuo Monta
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 54 | Number 4 | August 1974 | Pages 474-481
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE74-A23445
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A control-rod optimization problem is formulated for a one-dimensional multiregion reactor; that is, the end-of-life state surfaces are formulated in the N-dimensional bumup space, which is an N-dimensional Euclidean space, with its axis corresponding to the macroscopic fission cross section of each region. Solutions for a three-region reactor model are derived by using the principle of optimality. The investigation of these solutions reveals the existence of unique and nonunique solutions, depending on the relationship of end-of-life state surfaces. The relationship between two kinds of solution is discussed.