Fuel Cycles in CANDU: Security of Supply and Reduced Used Fuel Management

Abstract

AECL has had a continuous fuel cycle program for more than 40 years, and anticipates that the next step in the evolution of CANDU fuel cycles will be the introduction of Recovered Uranium (RU), derived from conventional reprocessing. A low-risk RU option that can be applied in the short term comprises a combination of RU and Depleted Uranium (DU), giving a Natural Uranium Equivalent (NUE) fuel. Additionally, work is being done on a Thorium demonstration irradiation and a Thorium-capable CANDU Reactor (TCR). AECL has developed the Enhanced CANDU 6®* (EC6®*) reactor, upgraded from its CANDU 6 design. High neutron economy, on-power refueling and a simple fuel bundle provide the EC6 with the flexibility to accommodate a range of advanced fuels, in addition to its standard natural uranium.