Nuclear Fuel Cycle Simulation System: Improvements and Applications

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Simulation System (NFCSS) is a scenario based computer simulation tool that can model various nuclear fuel cycle options in various types of nuclear reactors. It is very efficient and accurate in answering questions such as: the nuclear mineral resources and technical infrastructure needed for the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle; the amounts of used fuel, actinide nuclides and high level waste generated for a given reactor fleet size; and the impact of introducing recycling of used fuel on mineral resource savings and waste minimization. Since the first publication on the NFCSS as IAEA-TECDOC-1535 in 2007, there have been significant improvements in the implementation of the NFCSS, including a new extension to thorium fuel cycles, methods to calculate decay heat and radiotoxicity, and demonstration applications to innovative reactors.