关于核燃料技术经济性的探讨

A Discussion on the Technical Economics of Nuclear Fuel

从宏观和微观角度对核燃料的技术经济性进行评价分析。核燃料热值高,比化石燃料产出净能高3～4倍。核燃料(核电)拥有巨大的温室气体减排潜力,燃烧时不排放二氧化硫、氮氧化物,不产生烟尘、煤渣,是节能减排效果非常好的清洁能源。据IPCC的研究,在各种发电技术中,石油的温室气体排放量为600～1200g二氧化碳当量/(kW.h),煤、褐煤为800～1800g二氧化碳当量/(kW.h),而核电的排放量平均值仅为10g二氧化碳当量/(kW.h)。至2030年,可再生能源发电和核电可减排温室气体近60×108t二氧化碳当量,其中核电约占1/3。核燃料资源丰富,可循环利用、实现增殖,从而扩大了核燃料资源。现有天然铀热中子堆可用百年;快中子堆可提高铀资源利用率60倍以上,可用千年;聚变核燃料氘可供人类使用百亿年,且无放射性。可见,核能是化石能源最有前途的替代能源。同时,核燃料能量密度高,体积小,所需运力少,价格稳定,供应可靠。核电的投资成本分别高出煤电、气电约50%和140%,而发电总成本煤电、气电仍比核电高出约30%,根本原因是核燃料费用低,只占发电总成本的23%。核电的燃料成本优势除弥补了自身投资成本高的缺点以外,还形成了发电总成本低的竞争优势。

This article studies the technical economics of nuclear fuel from both the macro and micro perspectives.Nuclear fuel has higher heat value—its net energy output is 3-4 times that of fossil fuels.Nuclear fuel(nuclear power) has enormous potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.It does not produce sulfur dioxide,NOx,soot or slag when burned and is therefore a clean energy source very helpful to reducing emissions.IPCC's studies show that when used in power generation,petroleum produces 600-1200g of carbon dioxide equivalent/(kW·h) of greenhouse gases,brown coal produces 800-1800g of carbon dioxide equivalent/(kW·h) of greenhouse gases,and that nuclear power only produces an average 10g of carbon dioxide equivalent/(kW·h) of greenhouse gases.By 2030,renewable energy sources and nuclear power could be responsible for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 60×108t of carbon dioxide equivalent,about one third of which would be attributable to nuclear power.Nuclear fuel resources are widely available and can be recycled,achieving proliferation and equivalent to increasing the volume of nuclear fuel resources available.The existing natural uranium thermal neutron reactors can work for about 100 years.Fast neutron reactors can raise the uranium utilization rate by over 60 times,enabling them to work for more than 1000 years.Deuterium,a fusion nuclear fuel,can be used for more than 10 billion years and has no radioactivity.Therefore,nuclear fuel should be the most promising alternative to fossil fuels.Nuclear fuel has many advantages such as higher energy density,smaller volume,ease of transportation,stable price and reliable availability.The cost of nuclear power investment is about 50% and 140% higher than those of coal and gas-based power generation,but the total costs of coal-fired and gas-fired power generation are about 30% higher than that of nuclear power generation.The reason for this is that nuclear fuel is relatively cheap,which accounts for only 23% of all costs of power generation.In addition to offsetting the drawback of high investment,the fuel cost advantage of nuclear power reduces the total cost of power generation,giving the energy source an edge in competition.