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Christmas Light
’Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house
No electrons were flowing through even my mouse.
All devices were plugged by the chimney with care
With the hope that St. Nikola Tesla would share.
Edward J. Lahoda
Nuclear Technology | Volume 147 | Number 1 | July 2004 | Pages 102-112
Technical Paper | Thoria-Urania NERI | doi.org/10.13182/NT04-A3517
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The results of a 2-yr effort to determine the capability of U.S. fuel manufacturers to economically manufacture thorium-uranium dioxide (ThO2-UO2) fuel in plants that have previously only manufactured UO2 fuel with <5% 235U enrichment are presented. It was determined that there were no fundamental obstacles to converting the current plants that manufacture a uranium-oxide-only fuel to a mixed thorium-uranium dioxide fuel. However, the differential costs for manufacturing a 75% ThO2-25% UO2 fuel, with the uranium enriched with 20% 235U, as compared to a 100% UO2 fuel, was between $269 and $291/kg of metal oxide fuel, depending on the manufacturing method used to convert the uranium and thorium feeds to the dioxide powders. More than 90% of this cost was associated with the increased cost of the uranium feed and the addition of the thorium feed. If a 70% ThO2-30% UO2 fuel were used, the differential costs would increase to between $519 and $542/kg of metal oxide fuel, of which >95% is associated with the uranium and thorium feed materials.