The UK government has embarked on a comprehensive revaluation of its investment in Nuclear Power (NP) in response to a confluence of factors, including rising oil and gas prices, the shift towards independent energy extraction, and mounting concerns about climate change. Central to this revaluation is the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Project, a new nuclear power station, which aligns with the UK's decarbonisation and NetZero ambition but requires improvements highlighted by the Électricité de France’s (EDF) life cycle analysis, particularly in its Eutrophication Potential (EP). Eutrophication, a form of environmental damage stemming from excessive organism activity due to elevated nutrient loading remains is a key concern. Eutrophication is particularly relevant to nuclear power due to the nutrient emissions associated with uranium mining and milling processes. These processes contribute significantly to eutrophication, accounting for 58% of the EP per kilowatt-hour delivered. This study undertakes the development of a Hybrid Process Improvement Framework (HPIF) aimed at mitigating EP associated with Uranium Extraction in Nuclear Power Plants and identifies diesel combustion in support of in-situ leaching (ISL) techniques for Uranium Extraction as the predominant contributor to EP impact. Consequently, the research underscores the necessity for a novel HPIF design aimed at reducing diesel combustion and, by extension, the overall EP value. The HPIF developed in the study serves as a blueprint for other industries. By promoting sustainable practices, the research supports a broader move towards resource-efficient and low-impact industrial processes, crucial for the UK's overall Net Zero strategy. Further, the study adopts the DMADV methodology for the design of the HPIF process, thus ensuring a well-structured and data-driven approach in managing the HPIF configuration process. For validation, we employ semi-structured open-ended qualitative interviews with a unique set of subject experts (n = 21) comprising nuclear industry practitioners, academic researchers, and policymakers. NVivo was used for coding and analysing the data. Insights from the analysed data from 21 subject experts indicate that the HPIF is a novel tool that can address the larger objective of responding to critical environmental concerns within the nuclear power industry. We conclude that the HPIF can mitigate EP reduction challenges associated with uranium extraction for Nuclear Power Plants. The HPIF integrates and synthesises the methodologies of three established studies focused on reducing diesel fuel consumption in diesel generators. It systematically addresses key parameters, including load profiles, optimal generator type, number of generators, and scheduling strategies, tailored to specific load demands. By employing the advanced calculations derived from these three studies, HPIF effectively targets the fundamental issue contributing to Ep value—namely, the diesel combustions of diesel generators. This framework specifically addresses the challenge of reducing EP values associated with diesel fuel usage.

中文翻译：

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降低原位浸出用于铀萃取的富营养化潜力的混合工艺改进框架：一项定性研究。


英国政府已着手对其对核电 （NP） 的投资进行全面重新评估，以应对多种因素，包括石油和天然气价格上涨、转向独立能源开采以及对气候变化的日益担忧。此次重估的核心是欣克利角 C （HPC） 项目，这是一座新的核电站，与英国的脱碳和净零排放目标保持一致，但需要改进，法国电力公司 （EDF） 的生命周期分析强调了这一点，尤其是在其富营养化潜力 （EP） 方面。富营养化是由于营养负荷增加而导致的过度生物活动引起的一种环境破坏形式，是一个关键问题。富营养化与核电特别相关，因为铀矿开采和碾磨过程会排放营养物质。这些过程对富营养化有很大贡献，占每千瓦时输送的 EP 的 58%。本研究开发了一个混合工艺改进框架 （HPIF），旨在减轻与核电厂铀提取相关的 EP，并确定柴油燃烧以支持用于铀提取的原位浸出 （ISL） 技术是 EP 影响的主要贡献者。因此，该研究强调了一种新颖的 HPIF 设计的必要性，旨在减少柴油燃烧，进而减少整体 EP 值。研究中开发的 HPIF 可作为其他行业的蓝图。通过促进可持续实践，该研究支持更广泛地向资源高效和低影响的工业流程迈进，这对英国的整体净零战略至关重要。 此外，该研究采用 DMADV 方法设计 HPIF 流程，从而确保在管理 HPIF 配置流程时采用结构良好和数据驱动的方法。为了进行验证，我们采用半结构化开放式定性访谈，采访对象是一组独特的主题专家 （n = 21），包括核工业从业者、学术研究人员和政策制定者。NVivo 用于编码和分析数据。来自 21 位主题专家的分析数据的见解表明，HPIF 是一种新颖的工具，可以解决应对核电行业内关键环境问题的更大目标。我们得出结论，HPIF 可以缓解与核电站铀提取相关的 EP 减少挑战。HPIF 整合并综合了三项已建立的研究方法，这些研究的重点是减少柴油发电机的柴油消耗。它系统地解决了关键参数，包括负载曲线、最佳发电机类型、发电机数量和调度策略，并根据特定的负载需求量身定制。通过采用从这三项研究中得出的先进计算，HPIF 有效地针对了影响 Ep 值的基本问题，即柴油发电机的柴油燃烧。该框架专门解决了降低与柴油使用相关的 EP 值的挑战。