• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.561-574
• /
• 2006

This study presents the results of an economic analysis for a comparison of the single layer and double layer alternatives with respect to a HLW-repository. According to a cost analysis undertaken in the Korean case, the single layer option was the most economical alternative. The disposal unit cost was estimated to be 222 EUR/kgU. In order to estimate such a disposal cost, an estimation process was sought after the cost objects, cost drivers and economic indicators were taken into consideration. The disposal cost of spent fuel differs greatly from general product costs in the cost structure. Product costs consist of direct material costs and direct labor and manufacturing overhead costs, whereas the disposal cost is comprised of construction costs, operating costs and closure costs. In addition, the closure cost is required after a certain period of time elapses following the building of a repository.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.171-178
• /
• 2006

Decommissioning cost estimation is a very important technique in designing and planning of nuclear facilities' decommissioning. Decommissioning cost estimation should be made according to the phases of decommissioning activities and installed components of nuclear facilities. In this paper, the basic framework necessary for decommissioning cost estimation is completed so that it could be used as a technique for decommissioning costs estimation by specifying cost items and group components and unit cost factors on which work time is calculated. Also, factors to be considered for decommissioning cost estimation of major activities and tasks are reviewed. Afterwards, these techniques will be utilized as a basic technology to establish methodology of decommissioning cost estimation and evaluation.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.207-212
• /
• 2013

Since the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in March 2011, critical views on the increase in operation of nuclear power plants including the safety and the economic feasibility thereof have been expanding across the world. In these circumstances, we are to find out solutions to the controversial questions on whether nuclear power plants are economically more feasible than other energy sources, while the safety thereof is fully maintained. Thereby, nuclear power plants will play a key role as a sustainable energy source in the future as well as at present. To measure the social safety level that Korean people are actually feeling after the Fukushima accident, a method of cost-benefit analysis called the Contingent Valuation Method(CVM) was used, whereby we wanted to estimate the amount of expenses the general public would be willing to pay for the safety based on their acceptance rather than the social safety. As a result of calculating the trade-off value of the economic feasibility versus the safety in nuclear power plants through the survey thereon, it caused the nuclear power generation cost to be increased by 4.75 won/kWh. Reflecting this on the current power generation cost of 39.11 won/kWh would increase the cost to 43.86 won/kWh. It is thought that this potential cost is still more competitive than the coal-fired power generation cost of 67 won/kWh. This result will be available as a basic data for the 2nd Energy Basic Plan to be drawn up this year, presenting policy implications at the same time.

• 전기의세계
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.41-49
• /
• 1967

This paper covers an estimation and analysis of generating cost of 350MWe nuclear power plant using a pressurized water reactor on the assumption that such a nuclear power plant would be constructed in Korea in or around 1970. For the evaluation of this generating cost, an extensive study has been conducted based on the current information on operating and costing parameters of light water reactors, particularly those of pressurized water reactors. Based on this study, a total generating cost of 7.29 Mills/Kwh was evaluated by operating the plant at 80% plant factor. For this calculation, a steady state method was introduced. It is considered, therefore, that a total generating cost in the beginning of plant operation would be a little higher than 7.29 Mills/Kwh, which has been calculated in the state of equilibrium.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 2005.10a
• /
• pp.979-980
• /
• 2005

• Journal of the Korean Society of Systems Engineering
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.57-67
• /
• 2012

It is the sensitivity and confidentiality of nuclear power plant decommissioning cost that prevent detailed cost information to be released to the public, which causes some limitation to analyze and reuse the costs. This limitation to access cost information means that the lessons learned from preceding cost estimating may not systematically feed back into following cost estimates. As an alternative, decommissioning cost estimation framework is indispensable to reflecting available experience and knowledge for decommission costs. This study provides the cost estimation framework including data flow and structuralization based on engineering and bottom up approach to enhance decommissioning cost estimation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.41 no.8
• /
• pp.1005-1014
• /
• 2009

The Dual Unit Optimizer 2000 MWe (DUO2000) is put forward as a new design concept for large power nuclear plants to cope with economic and safety challenges facing the $21^{st}$ century green and sustainable energy industry. DUO2000 is home to two nuclear steam supply systems (NSSSs) of the Optimized Power Reactor 1000 MWe (OPR1000)-like pressurized water reactor (PWR) in single containment so as to double the capacity of the plant. The idea behind DUO may as well be extended to combining any number of NSSSs of PWRs or pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs), or even boiling water reactors (BWRs). Once proven in water reactors, the technology may even be expanded to gas cooled, liquid metal cooled, and molten salt cooled reactors. With its in-vessel retention external reactor vessel cooling (IVR-ERVC) as severe accident management strategy, DUO can not only put the single most querulous PWR safety issue to an end, but also pave the way to very promising large power capacity while dispensing with the huge redesigning cost for Generation III+ nuclear systems. Five prototypes are presented for the DUO2000, and their respective advantages and drawbacks are considered. The strengths include, but are not necessarily limited to, reducing the cost of construction by decreasing the number of containment buildings from two to one, minimizing the cost of NSSS and control systems by sharing between the dual units, and lessening the maintenance cost by uniting the NSSS, just to name the few. The latent threats are discussed as well.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.20-29
• /
• 1991

The system analysis for Korean nuclear power reactor option is made on the basis of reliability, cost minimization, finite uranium resource availability and nuclear engineering manpower supply constraints. The reference reactor scenarios are developed considering the future electricity demand, nuclear share, current nuclear power plant standardization program and manufacturing capacity. The levelized power generation cost, uranium requirement and nuclear engineering professionals demand are estimated for each reference reactor scenarios and nuclear fuel cycle options from the year 1990 up to the year 2030. Based on the outcomes of the analysis, uranium resource utilization, reliability and nuclear engineering manpower requirements are sensitive to the nuclear reactor strategy and associated fuel cycle whereas the system cost is not. APWR, CANDU longrightarrow FBR strategy is to be the best option for Korea. However, APWR, CANDU longrightarrow Passive Safe Reactor(PSR）longrightarrowFBR strategy should be also considered as a contingency for growing national concerns on nuclear safety and public acceptance deterioration in the future. FBR development and establishment of related fuel cycle should be started as soon as possible considering the uranium shortage anticipated between 2007 and 2032. It should be noted that the increasing use of nuclear energy to minimize the greenhouse effects in the early 21st century would accelerate the uranium resource depletion. The study also concludes that the current level of nuclear engineering professionals employment is not sufficient until 2010 for the establishment of nuclear infrastructure.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.295-310
• /
• 1975

A system of model price data for the fuel cost estimation of the Go-ri plant is developed. With the application of MITCOST-II computer code the levelized unit fuel costs over the entire lifetime of the plant are evaluated. It is found that the overall levelized unit fuel cost is 7.332 mills/Kwhe and that the uranium ore and enrichment service represent more than 85% of the unit cost, assuming a simple once-through fuel cycle process with no reprocessing of the spent fuel. The effects of the cost fluctuations in these fuel cycle elements and the capacity factor changes are also evaluated. The results indicate that the fuel costs are most sensitive to the variation of uranium ore price. Efforts must, therefore, be employed for the arrangement of cheap and timely supply of uranium ore in order to achieve the economic generation of nuclear power.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.644-654
• /
• 2024

After the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami (Japan, 2011), regulatory efforts to mitigate external hazards have increased both the safety requirements and the total capital cost of nuclear power plants (NPPs). In these circumstances, identifying not only disaster robustness but also cost-effective capacity setting of NPPs has become one of the most important tasks for the nuclear power industry. A few studies have been performed to relocate the seismic capacity of NPPs, yet the effects of multiple hazards have not been accounted for in NPP capacity optimization. The major challenges in extending this problem to the multihazard dimension are (1) the high computational costs for both multihazard risk quantification and system-level optimization and (2) the lack of capital cost databases of NPPs. To resolve these issues, this paper proposes an effective method that identifies the optimal multihazard capacity of NPPs using a multi-objective genetic algorithm and the two-stage direct quantification of fault trees using Monte Carlo simulation method, called the two-stage DQFM. Also, a capacity-based indirect capital cost measure is proposed. Such a proposed method enables NPP to achieve safety and cost-effectiveness against multi-hazard simultaneously within the computationally efficient platform. The proposed multihazard capacity optimization framework is demonstrated and tested with an earthquake-tsunami example.