ABSTRACT
The resource and economic implications of the adoption of an evolutionary strategy for fission power are discussed as an alternative to a strategy based upon deployment of the plutonium breeder reactor. The evolutionary strategy would involve a continued dependence on thermal neutron reactors which can be operated on either once-through or closed isotopically denatured fuel cycles. The uranium efficiency of the nuclear power system could be substantially improved, however, by deploying advanced converter reactors (ACRs) beginning around the year 2000 instead of light water reactors of current design. For specific quantitative calculations, the Canadian heavy water reactor is used to illustrate the potential role of an ACR. It is found that, within the uncertainties in the economic assumptions, operating an ACR on a once-through fuel cycle would be economically competitive with plutonium breeders up to very high uranium prices. It is also found that, if ACRs are operated on a closed isotopically denatured uranium-thorium fuel cycle, their cumulative uranium requirements need not for many decades significantly exceed those needed to deploy a breeder system.
