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The New Age of Nuclear Fission : Generation IV and SNE-TP/ESNII initiative

Politecnico di Torino 2012 May 04. The New Age of Nuclear Fission : Generation IV and SNE-TP/ESNII initiative Prof . Marco Ricotti , Politecnico di Milano Dipartimento di Energia. WHY WE NEED A NEW AGE FOR THE NUCLEAR FISSION. To respond to Fukushima-like accidents

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The New Age of Nuclear Fission : Generation IV and SNE-TP/ESNII initiative

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  1. Politecnico di Torino 2012 May 04 The New Age of NuclearFission: Generation IV and SNE-TP/ESNII initiative Prof. Marco Ricotti, Politecnico di Milano Dipartimento di Energia

  2. WHY WE NEED A NEW AGE FOR THE NUCLEAR FISSION • To respond to Fukushima-like accidents • by strenghtening the safety (long term cooling, severe accident management) and its perception by the public • by strenghtening the organisation and control, its independence and its transparency • To respond to request for sustainability of the nuclear fuel cycle • by duly addressing the feature of long term legacy of nuclear waste • To help addressing critical, global needs for humanity • today, almost 2 billions people have no access to electricity, 1 billion to potable water • energy demand/supply is largely uneven

  3. ENERGY CONSUMPTION Avg< 2toe per capita EU = 3toeper capita USA > 8toe per capita EmergingCountries = 0.5-1toeper capita

  4. ENERGY: THE ETHIC ASPECT • Energy means Development • Access to energy (electricity) should be possible for everyone 80% lives in EmergC 1.4-1.6billions with no access to electricity 99% in rural areas 90% informal peripheries 1billion with no access to reliable electrical grid 5-15% blackout 15% efficiency 2.8billions use biomass for domestic needs 10% of fuel carbon to HC 1.4 millions deaths /y

  5. NEW AGE OF NUCLEAR FISSION: GENERATION IV ?

  6. GENERATION IV (available at 2030-2035) • An international effort started in 2000 • Generation IV main goals: • SUSTAINABILITY: meet environm. objectives, promote longterm availability of systems and effective fuel utilization; minimize and manage nuclear waste and reduce the long-term burden, improving protection for the public health and the environment • ECONOMICS: clear lifecycle cost advantage over other energy sources; level of financial risk comparable to other energy projects • SAFETY AND RELIABILITY: excel in safety and reliability; very low likelihood and degree of reactor core damage; no need for offsite emergency response • NON PROLIFERATION & PHYSICAL PROTECTION: be very unattractive route for diversion or theft of weapons-usable materials, and provide increased physical protection against acts of terrorism

  7. GENERATION IV • Reactor concepts selected by the Panel of Experts of the Gen IV Programme: • Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor System GFR • Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor System LFR • Molten Salt Reactor System MSR • Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor SystemSFR • Supercritical Water-Cooled Reactor Systems SCWR • Very-High-Temperature Reactor System VHTR • Systems must: • allowsignificantstepsforward, towards the technological targets • be ableto supplyelectricity, and possibly high tempheat, hydrogen; with an enhancedwastemanagement system • representsharedinterestsamong the memberCountries

  8. GENERATION IV REACTORS • ELFR GFR VHTR LFR KeyItalianparticipation: leadership, R&D, design MSR SCWR SFR

  9. GENERATION IV REACTORS

  10. Small Modular Reactors: a bridge to GenIV?

  11. 2012 – USDoE new Program on SMRs: 50M$ in 2011-2012 FundOpportAnn. in 2012 for 2 SMR designs, 452M$ in 5 years for licensingprocess

  12. A CRITICAL ITEM FOR SUSTAINABILITY: WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY P&T is essential for the sustainability of nuclear energy GD is indispensable for radioactive waste management Both “communities” must work together for the future of nuclear energy

  13. GEN IV & ADS REACTORS: A KEY STEP FOR PARTITIONING & TRANSMUTATION (P&T) • Radiotoxicity: from 100 000 years to 300 years

  14. GEN IV & ADS REACTORS: ENHANCE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF NUCLEAR ENERGY • Present known resources of Uranium represent about 100 years of consumption with the existing reactor fleet • Fast neutron reactors with closed fuel cycle have the potential: • to multiply by a factor 50 to 100 the energy output from a given amount of uranium (with a full use of U238), • to provide energy for the next thousand years with the already known uranium resources • to improve the management of high level radioactive waste through the transmutation of minor actinides • Once-through cycle (disposal of spent fuel as it is) does not appear to be more sustainable • Reprocessing of the spent fuel and transmutation of MAs in dedicated devices(Gen IV, ADS) reduces radio-toxic inventory of the disposed waste in geological repositories • Geological disposal of the remaining waste (separation/transmutation losses) will be required

  15. EUROPEAN COMMITMENT ON GEN IV:Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP) • European nuclear research-oriented organisations and nuclear industry stakeholders (35 at the launch, today 97 members) launched in 2007 the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP) • SNETP has the aim of integrating and developing R&D capabilities • to maintain the safety and competitiveness of today’s technologies, • to develop a new generation of more sustainable reactor technologies and • to develop new industrial applications of nuclear power • SNETP places a high priority on the development of Gen IV Fast Neutron Reactors (FNRs), amongst which are the Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) as a proven concept and the Lead- or Gas-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR, GFR) as alternative, longer-term technologies.

  16. Strategic Research Agenda • [ June 2009 ] • Vision Report • [ Sept 2007 ] • Deployment Strategy • [ May 2010 ] Concept Paper [Oct 2010] • Education & Training • [ Dec 2010 ] SNETP in a nutshell: from strategy to implementation • All documents are available for download on www.snetp.eu and prints upon request (secretariat@snetp.eu)

  17. INDUSTRY ROLE:European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII) ESNII Roadmap from the Concept Paper EUROPE FOCUS: FAST REACTORS The strategy: ■ the Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) as a first track along with Europe’s prior experience, ■ two alternative fast neutron reactor technologies : the Lead cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) the Gas cooled Fast Reactor (GFR) The Road Map includes Myrrha, an ADSPb-Bi cooled facility used as a technology pilot plant and as EU irradiation facility.

  18. STATUS of GIF and link to ESNII (SNE-TP)          VHTR     GFR    ESNII    SFR     LFR    SCWR   MSR GFR – Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (System Arrangement - SA) LFR – Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor (MOU) MSR – Molten Salt Reactor (MOU) SFR – Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (SA) SCWR – Supercritical Water-Cooled Reactor (SA) VHTR – Very-High-Temperature Reactor (SA) SA – signed PAs – signed MOU – signed LFR MOU Signed on November 2010: EU-JAPAN LFR MOU Signed by Russian Federation on July 2011

  19. MAIN INTEREST FOR LEAD AS A COOLANTFOR A GEN IV – LMFR  Lead does not react with water or air • Possibility to eliminate the intermediate loop; SGU installed inside the Reactor Vessel • Need R&D on effects of water-lead interaction in case of SGTR accident • Less stringent requirements on reactor leak tightness •  Lead has very high boiling point • Reduced core voidingrisk (Lead boiling point is 1745°C ) •  Lead has a higher density than the oxide fuel • No need for core catcher to face core melt (molten clad and fuel float) • No risk of re-criticality in case of core melt  Lead is a low moderating medium and has low absorption cross-section. • No need to have a very compact Fuel Assemblies (FA can have fuel rods spaced large apart; Core pressure loss drastically reduced in spite of the higher density of lead resulting in lower pumping power and higher natural circulation capability)  Lead is compatible with existing clad material 15-15/Ti and T91 • Operation over long irradiation period and under Oxygen control up to 500°C • More margins with surface coating up to 550-600 °C LEAD COOLANT PASSIVE SAFETY

  20. SOME CRITICAL ASPECTS FOR LFR ONE BASIC PROBLEM: MATERIALS – CORROSION AND EROSION Erosion can be limited by design - low coolant velocity Corrosion can be faced using two possible approaches: Russian approach: oxygen control, surface protection obtained with the formation of an oxide layer on structural material Coatings: GESA (developed by Karlsruhe) Additional coatings under investigation (eg PLD)

  21. FP: 1g/MWD + losses MOX first loads (U:82.5%; Pu: 17.5%) LFR Adiabatic Reprocessing MOX equilibrium (U: 82%; Pu: 17%; MA: 1%) Unat : 1g/MWD + reintegration of losses All Actinides (Expected MA: 1% of which 20% Cm) Fabrication ADS AS A BURNER, LFR AS “ADIABATIC” LFR Closed Fuel Cycle • LFR can be operated as adiabatic: • Waste only FP, feed only Unat • Pu vector slowly evolves cycle by cycle • MA content increases and its composition drift in the time • LFR is fully sustainable and proliferation resistant (since the start up) • Pu and MA are constant in quantities and vectors • Safety - main feedback and kinetic parameters vs max MA content OK

  22. A NEW AGE FOR FISSION ENERGYFinalcomments • A new ageisprobablyunavoidable: • to keep on exploitingfissionenergy • to step up in safety and waste management • Generation IV (Fast Reactors + ADS) as a keystep for a suitableresponse • Availability in the medium-long run: development time (innovative solutions, new materials) and cost, noteasilycompressible

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