Economics of Steady-State Plutonium-238 Production in Epithermal Reactors

The availability of uranium fuels enriched in ²³⁶U and ²³⁷Np makes it possible to contemplate fuel cycles for the production of ²³⁸Pu that operate with equilibrium concentrations of the important nuclides in the production chain. Fuel cycles involving ²³⁶U recycle and ²³⁶U and ²³⁷Np recycle have been studied, and ²³⁸Pu production costs have been estimated for two well-developed reactor types. The economic incentives for producing ²³⁸Pu in an epithermal reactor are presented, and the estimated production costs are shown to be lower than the generally quoted values. It is also shown that the estimated national requirements for ²³⁸Pu can be met with one single-purpose production reactor of moderate size.