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An industrial view on Thorium: Possibilities, Challenges and Paths forward

An industrial view on Thorium: Possibilities, Challenges and Paths forward. Luc Van Den Durpel Vice President Strategic Analysis and Technology Prospective Corporate R&D ThEC 2013 Conference October 28 th – October 31 st 2013 CERN, Geneva.

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An industrial view on Thorium: Possibilities, Challenges and Paths forward

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  1. ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  2. An industrial view on Thorium: Possibilities, Challenges and Paths forward Luc Van Den Durpel Vice President Strategic Analysis and Technology Prospective Corporate R&D ThEC 2013 Conference October 28th – October 31st 2013 CERN, Geneva

  3. Possibilities for Thorium usein nuclearenergysystems ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  4. Whyis Thorium that … « modern » again? • « It isneutronicallyexciting » • As soon as youintroduce fertile materials, e.g. Th, youneed to balance the neutrons well • 233U canact as the « 239Pu » in thermal neutron spectrumreactors • And canprovide routes to synergies among thermal neutron spectrumreactors • Provideshigher conversion ratio routes in thermal neutron spectrumreactors • Though, some233Pa-233U management issues in-core • « It can, in the longer term, offersomeadvantages » • Less MA-production • Highermelting point & cooler fuel • One oxidation state • « It’s not plutonium » • Claims on proliferationriskadvantages • Provides an avenue to a « new nuclear » ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  5. There’s a (re)new(ed) « hype » on thorium today • « Generation-IV » • But mostproposalstoday on Th onlyaddress one family of strategies, i.e. « Th-dedicatednuclearenergysystems » • Manycanbeclassified as « Generation-X » (X ≥ 5) when full accountistaken of fuel cycle developmentsrequired • Pu and MA-management • During the last twodecades, Partitioning and Transmutation (P&T) was a strong driver of advanced fuel cycle R&D worldwide • E.g. Pu/Th-option for Pu-management • Nuclearenergysustainability • E.g. Indiatransitioningtowards233U/Th-cycle ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  6. Socio-politicalconsequencesfromthishype • « Wecanacceptnuclearenergy as solution, as long as itis Th-based » • Increasingdebate and ‘flawed’ discussions on the potential of thorium canibalising a truescientific-technologicalassessment of Th • The debateismostly or evensolelydriven by longer-term « Generation-IV/X » projections • Scientifically-technologicallycorrectnessisrequired • There willneverbe a « Th fuel cycle » without a (starting) complementaritywith a U/Pu-cycle • Any Th-use requires a fissile material to startwith • Any Th-fuel cycle requiresreprocessing and recycling to maketrue use of 233U and achieve the objectives • The claimedbenefits of « Th fuel cycle » willonlybegraduallyachieved and willtake a long time as well (>100 yrs) ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  7. Let’s demystify the role of Thorium a little • There are essentiallythreemajor families of scenarios envisaged for use of Th/233U • Complementary use of Th/233U in U/Pu nuclearenergysystems • Possibility to use Th/233U in LWRs, PHWRs and FRs in view of • Lengthening the cycle time in LWRs • Reducingthe Unat/TWhe use, and/or • Providing multiple-recycling option for Pu , and/or • Replacement of DU in specific cases, and/or • Breed233U for future use in otherreactorsystems • (Transition towards) « Generation-III(+) » 100% Th/233U-nuclear energysystems • Th provides synergies between thermal spectrumreactors, e.g. LWRs + CANDUs/AHWRs as well as withFRs • Th-dedicated « Generation-IV/X »-systems (X≥5) • « Generation-IV/X » longer-termoptions considering use of MSRs, ADSs, LFTRs, … ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  8. Th-use in nuclear power demands a (LT) strategywhy Th wouldbring value in a nuclear programme • Forget the claims that, internationally, « Th-fuel optimisedNPPs » wouldbeavailable ‘tomorrow’, e.g. < 2030 • There are today no classic argumentations driving in favour of th instead of Unat/Pu • For an investor in an NPP, the international marketoffersreliableindustrial solutions with international fuel cycle services in the U/Pu-cycle • No additionalrisksintroducing ‘game-changing’ technologies to ensurecompetitivenuclearenergy • Onlywith a medium- to longer-termstrategy, and addressingstrategic issues, Th maybecome a viable option for consideration • Th-fuel development and qualification in Gen-III(+) reactorstakes time and transitioningfrom an initial UOX/MOX-coretowards a (partial) Th-OX fueledcoretakes time as well • Unlessa government drives a large Th-fuel and reactor (R&D-)programme with a long-term vision, Th-use in nuclear power willoccur • Progressively in Gen-III(+) reactors, potentiallypreparingGen-IV and/or Gen-X options • Providing the answer to specific challenges which are primarily of fuel cycle nature • Ensuringthat the Th-containing fuel iswellcomplementarywith the U/Pu-cycle and offeringadditionalflexibilityto NPP-operators and countries ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  9. Indicative timeline for U/Pu/Th-use in nuclearenergysystems ADS / MSR/LTFR HTR 233U / Th AHWR UTh-OX 233U Th F(B)R Th-Blanket FR-MOX Pu U-Blanket ALWR Pu Pu MOX Pu Pu LWR UOX MOX URT URT URT U PHWR Today 2020 2030 2040 2050 ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  10. As nuclearwillgrow … theremightbesomeconcerns • Temporaryimbalances of supply/demand for front-end services, specificallyUnatavailability, may lead to higher and more volatile fuel pricesduring the 2030-2050 period • Perception of temporary ‘scarcity’ due to possible imbalanceUnatsupply/demandespecially in light of rapidlygrowingregional NPP-parkswithadditionaleffectfrom U-traders in a single-productmarket • NPP’s trend towardstechnicallifetimes(well) beyond60 years • Investorsneed to beassuredthat fuel availabilityis not an issue for theirinvestment over long time horizons • Today’sLWR-designs willbe operating wellinto the 22ndcentury!! • As such, fuel cycle flexibilityisbecomingincreasingly important • Planningactions towardshigher fuel cycle flexibilityinclude • In the short and medium-termfuel deliverycontracts (time-period, multiple providers, …) • In the medium- to longer-termtechnical fuel and fuel cycle flexibility, i.e. havingqualified fuels with fissile/fertile content U-Pu, 30%-100% MOX, U-Th, Pu-Th, 233U-Th according to market and technologicaldevelopments • In addition, new NPPs, i.e. specificallyallowing « multi-recycling Pu » in LWRsand ultimatelyFRsprovidebetter use of naturalresourceswhilealsopotentiallyreducingamount of ultimate radioactive waste ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  11. Challenges ahead ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  12. What are the drivers to use Thorium in nuclear power especially, and ideally, atlargerscale in due time? • What are the new ‘market’-conditions for Th-use compared to the past? • Nuclear power is a hugely capital-intensive industrywiththus, inherently, technologylock-in behaviour • And do not forget fuel cyccletechnlogiesdevelopment and strategies ! • Th/233U involves multiple issues in a ‘100%’ Th/233U fuel cycle, i.e.: • Fissile material balance for start-up • Recycling and especiallyrefabrication issues with232U • Proliferationriskassessmentis not univocally in favouronly • If therewouldn’tbe new market conditions, one couldeasilyremainwith Th on ‘paper-level’ if not driven by a governmentalstrategy as the switchingcostsfrom U/Pu to Th/233U for nuclearindustry are very important or evenhuge • Are thereany new drivers todaythatwouldfacilitate progressive introduction of Th? • And if so, ideallyaddressing a large part of the nuclear power parkworldwide, i.e. addressing LWR fuel cycle? ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  13. ‘Conditions’ to consider Th in LWR-basedenergysystems? • Are thereanyimprovement avenues in U/Pu-cycle where Th providesadded value? • Lengthening the cycle time in LWRs • Reducing the Unat/TWhe use, and/or • Providingadditional multiple-recyclingoption for Pu, and/or • Replacement of burnable poisson in specificcases • But • Fuel cycle impacts especially in recyclingschemes • Anyconsideration of Th-use needs to be progressive • Keep as long as possible the « thorified » fuel separatefrom the U/Pu-cycle • This means • As long as possible, keepboth fuel cycles separated • How? • Couple U/Pu and Th/233U neutronicallythough not physicallynorchemically for as long as possible untiltheremightbe a market to go towards « Th fuel cycle » ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  14. An alternative schemeamongmanyconsiderable 233U / Th AHWR UTh-OX Th 233U F(B)R Th-Blanket ALWR FR-MOX Pu Pu U-Blanket Pu PuThOX MOX UOX MOX Pu Pu Pu LWR UOX MOX URT URT URT U ? ? PHWR Today 2020 2030 2040 2050 ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  15. There are multiple pathsbeforeembarkinginto « Th-cycle »: someprovidecomplementaritywith U/Pu-cycle already in medium-term Fraction of Th in U/Th or Pu/Th fuel (%) MSR « Th/233U-cycle » with Th-optimisedreactor concepts 100 LFTR AHWR (India) Pu/Th options LWRs/CANDUs U/Th options towardsUnat/TWhereduction Objectives: • Unat/TWhereductionthrough in-core233U breeding and recycling • Level of Th-content important for potential in reducingUnat/Twhethoughdemanding MEU for high Th-contents 50 Objectives: ≈ 5 – 10% Pu/th • Unat/TWhereductionthrough in-core233U breeding and recycling • Multi-recycling of Pu (fromused MOX) in LWRs • ≈ 14 – 20 % Pu/th • Pu-burningwhilebreeding233U in transition scenarios • High BU options withSiCcladding for once-burn-disposal Objectives: • BU and cycle length extension • Reduction/Replacement of Gd as burnable poison • Core power flattening 10 Th as additive LWRs / CANDUs 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  16. Sometake-awaysfromAREVA’sassessment of Th-options in LWRs • Based on EPRTM-design evolutionary fuel options • ‘Envelope’ of evolutionary Th-use potential • One canintroducebeneficially Th in LWRswhilekeeping U/Pu and Th/233U-vector as long as possible separated • Some 20 to 50% of energyprovided by 233U • Most options requirereprocessing to ensureachievement of objectives • Though, given stable 233U, reprocessingmaybedelayed • Reduction by 25 – 35 % of Unat/TWhe in recyclingschemes • An improved Pu-balance in UOX and MOX for multi-recycling of Pu • Reduction in enrichmentneeds • Reduced MA-production ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  17. AREVA and Thorium: expertise and experiencedatingfrom the 1970s • Thorium is not new for AREVA • AREVA holdsinventory of 2450 tTh as Th-nitrate in France from former miningoperations (Madagascar) and AREVA developed the appropriatetechnological solutions for itsproper management (processing, handling, interimstorage) • AREVA researched and (co-)fabricated Th-fuels for PHWRs, HTRs, and LWRs • 1970s BWR Lingen irradiation of 2.5%-Pu/Th pellets (20 GWd/tHM) • 1980s collaborative program on Th-fuel for PWRs • 1990-2000s PWR Obrigheim UPu/Th irradiation (up to 37 GWd/tHM) • PIE indicated no issues • Sol-gel, powdermetallurgy and impregnation fabrication methodsweretested and no major issues up to 30% Pu wereencounteredthoughdemandingmodifiedprocessparameters • Ceramiclab(s) stillavailable and equipped for Th-fuel R&D-programme(s) ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  18. Pathsforward ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  19. Thorium can have its place in a growingnuclearenergy future • As nuclearenergyis a prime contributor to addressclimate change and energysustainability objectives worldwide • A progressive and U/Pu-complementary introduction of Thorium isconditional to any Th-use in the future • Any introduction of Th needs to beassessedindustrially to ensuretechnical-economic effective and efficient pathsforward for such Th-use • Given the overallworldwidedevelopmentsrelated to thorium, both in the nuclearenergyfield as in the rare-earthmarket AREVA and SOLVAY jointheir know-how to add value tothorium’sentire life cycle ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  20. AREVA and SOLVAY’sprovideholistic Th-management RE-mining REO processingintoproducts RE-ore processing REO separation and purification Th-residues Th-residues LT Interim Storage Th Interim Storage Th-residues Separation and Purification of Th Valorisation as Th-fuel in nuclear power Other applications of Th ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  21. AREVA-SOLVAY « Thorium Valorisation » Agreement • AREVA and Solvay embarkedsince 2013 in a collaborative programme towards Thorium valorisation • Bothcompaniestogether master the complete set of Thorium valorisation routes in the short- to longer-termwithclear synergies ensuring Thorium valorisation services also to beprovided to third parties. • The collaborative programme encompasses • Resolving the Th-residues issues arisingfrom certain Rare Earthprocessing in the past and now • Providing an industriallyrobust valorisation argumentation focused on Thorium valorisation in nuclear power in the medium-term • Ensuring best-practice interim management options for Thorium awaitingthis Thorium valorisation in the medium-term • An R&D-programme focused on medium-term Thorium valorisation in nuclear power isset-upwith international R&D-partnersgearedtowards first phase of fuel-developmentwith irradiation by 2020 ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  22. Synthesis of AREVA-SOLVAY’s R&D-programme on Th-valorisation in nuclearenergy Phase 4 Phase 1a Phase 3 Phase 0 Phase 2 Phase 1b Selection of NPP-irradiation and licensing of irradiation Downselection of Th fuel cycle strategies and fuel fabdevelopment focus Decision on Th-fuel development • Detailing fuel cycle strategieswith international partners • R&D international consortium • Preparinglabs Licensed Irradiation in NPP start Decision on Lead Test FA irradiation Fuel Fabdevelopment and testing Experimental R&D Programme NPP Segmented Rod irradiation to high BU and PIE « There isclear scope for Th-use in future nuclear power and R&D-programme to bestrengthened » Lead Test FA Irradiation ScopingAnalysis of Th-options Qualified Th-fuel development • ReactorPhysicsstudies (LWR, PHWR, FR) • PhDs • Techno and Patent Watch • International Projectsinvolvement • Know-How transfer - 2012 2013 2014 2016 2018 2020 2025 2030 ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  23. In Summary ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  24. Concluding observations • Please, demistify the « Th fuel cycle » story and claims • Th-dedicated « Generation-IV/X » systemswon’tmakeit: • Without an initial long period of complementaritywith U/Pu-cycle in Gen-III(+) and IV systems • Without a government long-term vision spurringtheirdevelopment • Is there a clearmarket for U/Th and Pu/Th-fuels in the short-term? • In the medium-term: possiblydepending on the international nuclearenergysystemsdevelopmentand the requirement for fissile/fertile materials management synergistically intra-nuclear and inter-regionally • Transition, if desired to go towards « 100% Th », willtake a time, i.e. decadesat least • AREVA and SOLVAY are • investigating Th-fuel options as complement to U/Pu-cycle in an international context and • addressing a holistic Thorium management providingindustrial solutions to thoserequiring and considering valorisation of thorium both in Rare Earth as in nuclearenergymarket • AREVA and Solvay welcome collaboration with R&D-organisations and othercompanies ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

  25. Thankyou ThEC2013 - Industrial View on Thorium - 28-31 October 2013

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