Year
1961
Abstract
The Enrico Fermi Fast Breeder Reactor is being constructed near Monroe, Michigan about halfway between Toledo and Detroit. Atomic Power Development Associates, Sic., provided the conceptual design of the reactor while Power Reactor Development Company will own and operate the reactor. The initial power of the reactor will be 300 Mw thermal although provisions have been made for increasing the power to 1*30 Mw at a later date. Steam produced by the reactor is sold to The Detroit Edison Company who use it to produce electricity. The cost of generating power in a nuclear reactor can be separated into three primary components (1) capital costs, (2) operating and maintenance, and (3) fuel cycle costs. Fuel cycle costs can be broken down into five steps: fabrication, burnup, reprocessing, shipping, and losses. To the reactor operator, accountability is a definite portion of the fuel cycle. Accountability measurements establish the throughflow of material which is essential to all steps. Thus, a measurement uncertainty reflects uncertainties on the different steps in the fuel cycle. The two sources of revenue to power reactor operators are the sale of Plutonium to the Government and the sale of electricity or steam as the case may be. Again, accountability enters the picture, since the plutonium is based on a Plutonium to uranium ratio. As in any economic analysis, the amount of money spent on an item must be related to the value derived from it. So it is with accountability's effect on fuel cycle costs. The incremental dollars spent on accountability must be related to the incremental reduction in size of the uncertainty. Our reasoning has been that to reduce an uncertainty by $10,000, one does not spend more than $5,000.