Sweden's nuclear power industry plays a crucial role in meeting future energy needs and achieving climate goals where nuclear power is essential to this success. However, one of the biggest challenges in nuclear power is the management of spent nuclear fuel, which must be stored safely for long periods to protect people and the environment from radioactive radiation. To address this, Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB) plans to build a capsule factory for encapsulating spent nuclear fuel. The capsule factory is a key component of the Swedish KBS-3 system for the final disposal of nuclear waste, where copper capsules will be used to safely seal and store the spent nuclear fuel for over 100,000 years, 500 meters underground. The purpose of this study was to evaluate two main scenarios for the construction of the capsule factory: an early construction, and a later construction, as well as to examine the opportunities and risks of reusing existing encapsulation equipment compared to investing in new equipment. To address the research questions and achieve the objectives of the report, the methods consisted of SWOT-analyses, surveys, risk assessments, and statistical analysis of the risks to evaluate the scenarios. The results show that an early construction start can reduce overall risks and enable a more efficient transition to full-scale production by the year 2036. A later construction start can reduce initial costs but may involve an increased risk of delays. Reusing existing equipment can also lower costs but may require extensive inspections and upgrades as it becomes outdated. New investments in equipment entail higher initial costs but offer more modern and efficient solutions with lower long-term maintenance requirements. In summary, an early construction start of the capsule factory is recommended, with a thorough assessment of the possibility of reusing existing equipment to maximize cost-effectiveness and minimize risks.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-533090 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Ilkilic, Liam |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Tillämpad kärnfysik |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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