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Rethinking Nuclear Power 5. New Technologies

Rethinking Nuclear Power 5. New Technologies. Waste, reprocessing Breeder reactors Pebble bed reactor Other small reactors Thorium molten salt reactors Gen IV, GNEP Fusion reactor, ITER. Bob Hargraves, Hanover NH. Next generation power reactor designs have expanded goals. Safety.

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Rethinking Nuclear Power 5. New Technologies

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  1. Rethinking Nuclear Power5. New Technologies Waste, reprocessing Breeder reactors Pebble bed reactor Other small reactors Thorium molten salt reactors Gen IV, GNEP Fusion reactor, ITER Bob Hargraves, Hanover NH

  2. Next generation power reactor designs have expanded goals. Safety Waste control Economy Hydrogen production Proliferation and terrorism resistance Fuel supply

  3. Rethinking Nuclear Power5. New Technologies Waste, reprocessing Bob Hargraves, Hanover NH

  4. Neutron absorption with beta decay creates new elements. fission beta decay neutron absorption

  5. The transuranic elements are produced by neutron absorption. Transuranic elements, heavier than uranium, do not occur naturally on earth, anymore. Actinides are actinium, thorium, protactinium, uranium, etc. http://www.ptable.com

  6. Fission products are lighter elements made from splitting uranium. Ba-Kr example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fission_product_yield

  7. The uranium nucleus splits in two fission products asymmetrically. Note vertical log scale Barium cluster Molybdenum cluster http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~cchieh/cact/nuctek/fissionyield.html

  8. This interactive simulation shows how decay products change with time. http://www.energyfromthorium.com/javaws/DecayChain.jnlp

  9. Kr-92 and Ba-141 binding energy is more than U-235’s, releasing energy. Kr Ba U http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binding_energy

  10. Spent fuel contains fission products, fissile fuel, and fertile uranium. 3% fission products In: 3.5% fissile fuel Out: 2.2% fissile fuel Fuel becomes spent as (1) density can’t sustain chain reaction (2) fission products take more neutrons WASTE FUEL FUEL FUTUREFUEL 1% plutonium < 0.8% Pu-239> 0.2% Pu-240 Enriched uranium fuel 96.5% U-238 3.5% U-235 Power reactor 96% uranium 0.83% U-235 0.40% U-236 94.77% U-238 trace % minor actinides Np, Am, Cm, … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spent_nuclear_fuel

  11. France is known for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. http://www.areva.com/servlet/operations/nuclearpower/backend_division-en.html

  12. Areva vitrifies waste into stable glass. Glass dissolves very slowly in water – 10% per million years. Glass cools in canisters 1.3 m high and 0.5 m in diameter. A 1 GW power plant generates 15 canisters per year. Areva reprocesses spent fuel from France, Japan, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and Switzerland. Processed wastes and plutonium are returned to source countries. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9chet_radioactif

  13. Canisters of glass are loaded into casks. France’s waste reprocessing center is a La Hague, on the northwest coast. Reprocessing takes place at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_reprocessing

  14. France consumes 1450 T fuel per year. 1450 Tfresh fuel(for 59 reactors) http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/4891

  15. 850 T of spent fuel is reprocessed. intemporary or permanent storage 500 T Uox spent fuel 1450 Tfresh fuel(for 59 reactors) 100 TMOX spent fuel 850 TUOx spent fuel Reprocessing Plantseparates U, Puradioactive wastes http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/4891

  16. 37 T radioactive waste is vitrified. intemporary or permanent storage 500 T Uox spent fuel 1450 Tfresh fuel(for 59 reactors) 100 TMOX spent fuel 850 TUOx spent fuel Reprocessing Plantseparates U, Puradioactive wastes 37 T radioactive wastevitrified http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/4891

  17. Some separated uranium is re-enriched. intemporary or permanent storage 500 T Uox spent fuel 1450 Tfresh fuel(for 59 reactors) 100 TMOX spent fuel 300 Tre-enriched in Russia 850 TUOx spent fuel U Reprocessing Plantseparates U, Puradioactive wastes 37 T radioactive wastevitrified http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/4891

  18. Most uranium is stockpiled. intemporary or permanent storage 500 T Uox spent fuel 1450 Tfresh fuel(for 59 reactors) 100 TMOX spent fuel 300 Tre-enriched in Russia 850 TUOx spent fuel U Reprocessing Plantseparates U, Puradioactive wastes 505 T U stockpiled 37 T radioactive wastevitrified http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/4891

  19. Reactor-grade plutonium is separated. intemporary or permanent storage 500 T Uox spent fuel 1450 Tfresh fuel(for 59 reactors) 100 TMOX spent fuel 300 Tre-enriched in Russia 850 TUOx spent fuel 8 TPu U Reprocessing Plantseparates U, Puradioactive wastes Pu 505 T U stockpiled 37 T radioactive wastevitrified http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/4891

  20. Pu is mixed with U to make MOX fuel. 92 Tdepleted U intemporary or permanent storage 500 T Uox spent fuel 1450 Tfresh fuel(for 59 reactors) 100 TMOX 100 TMOX spent fuel 300 Tre-enriched in Russia 850 TUOx spent fuel 8 TPu U Reprocessing Plantseparates U, Puradioactive wastes Pu 505 T U stockpiled 37 T radioactive wastevitrified http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/4891

  21. Most fuel is newly enriched uranium. 92 Tdepleted U 1050 T enriched UOx intemporary or permanent storage 500 T Uox spent fuel 1450 Tfresh fuel(for 59 reactors) 100 TMOX 100 TMOX spent fuel 300 Tre-enriched in Russia 850 TUOx spent fuel 8 TPu U Reprocessing Plantseparates U, Puradioactive wastes Pu 505 T U stockpiled 37 T radioactive wastevitrified http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/4891

  22. Transportation of pure plutonium has a risk of interception. Areva: A police-escorted truck carries pure plutonium from LaHague to Marcoule. http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/4891

  23. France’s Areva is building a MOX plant in South Carolina. MOX is Mixed Oxide nuclear fuel. MOX is 5% Pu-239 and 95% U-238. MOX fuel fabricated in France has been used in US nuclear power plants. Plant will use up 34 tonnes of surplus US weapons-grade plutonium. Enough fuel for 10 1 GW plants for 20-20 years. Part of US-Russia nonproliferation agreement. Spent MOX fuel will be hotter than spent uranium fuel. Delayed by legal battles, now expected to open in 2016. 2008 budget is $487 million. http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/020508/met_186175.shtml

  24. Rethinking Nuclear Power5. New Technologies Breeder Reactors Bob Hargraves, Hanover NH

  25. A nuclear power reactor breeds fissile fuel from U-238 in normal operation. 3% fission products Reactor “bred” 1.0% Pu + 0.4% U-236 = 1.4% bred fuelby fissioning 3.0% Breeding ratio is 1.4 / 3.0 = 0.47 WASTE FUEL FUEL FUTUREFUEL 1% plutonium < 0.8% Pu-239> 0.2% Pu-240 Enriched uranium fuel 96.5% U-238 3.5% U-235 Power reactor 96% uranium 0.83% U-235 0.40% U-236 94.77% U-238 trace % minor actinides Np, Am, Cm, … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spent_nuclear_fuel

  26. The EBR-II experimental breeder reactor in Idaho used liquid sodium coolant. https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/mragheb/www/NPRE%20402%20ME%20405%20Nuclear%20Power%20Engineering/Fast%20Breeder%20Reactors.pdf

  27. The 1.2 GW Super Phenix fast breeder reactor closed when uranium prices fell. https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/mragheb/www/NPRE%20402%20ME%20405%20Nuclear%20Power%20Engineering/Fast%20Breeder%20Reactors.pdf

  28. University of Chicago Argonne Lab developed the Integral Fast Reactor. Fission product wastes Current thermal reactors Fissionable U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, … kept together + - Oxides to metals Metals Cadmium etc New fuel rod casting Future fast reactors Electrorefining http://www.nationalcenter.org/NuclearFastReactorsSA1205.pdf

  29. IFR with electrorefining reuses all fuel, leaving 500-year-hazardous wastes. IFR is an advanced liquid sodium reactor. Fast neutrons fission all actinides. IFR can consume the plutonium of LWRs. IFR can breed U-238 to Pu-239 fuel. All processing is integral to the plant, with no external plutonium. Testing proved that rising temperatures drive reactivity subcritical, passively cooling by unassisted convection. In 1994, 4 years from completion, President Clinton and the Congress terminated the IFR project. George S. Sanford, PhD “It is an integrated, weapons-incompatible, proliferation-resistant cycle that is closed. It encompasses the entire fuel cycle, including fuel production and fabrication, power generation, reprocessing, and waste management.” http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA378.html

  30. DOE’s preferred Sodium Cooled Fast Reactor is a breeder reactor. SFR Liquid sodium coolant. High thermal inertia. Fast neutrons. Supercritical CO2 turbine Natural uranium fuel. 200-1500 MW. 530-550oC. Low pressure. Passive safety tested. Needs reprocessing. Burns actinides. Used in UK, Rus, Fra, Ger, Jap & (prior) US. $610M R&D, unfunded. reference

  31. GE's PRISM design uses electrorefining. Advanced Recycling Center Technology Claims (2007) 311 MW Sodium-cooled fast reactor Passive safety Factory built Metal (or oxide) fuel Extensive component testing Modular/scalable Sized to support ABR Proliferation resistant Removal of volatile FP through voloxidation Continuous or batch process Extensive testing in the US, Russia, Japan, and Korea Used by industrial refiners http://local.ans.org/virginia/meetings/2007/2007RIC.GE.NRC.PRISM.pdf

  32. Rethinking Nuclear Power5. New Technologies Pebble bed reactor Bob Hargraves, Hanover NH

  33. The pebble bed reactor is small, 100+ MW power plant. http://web.mit.edu/pebble-bed/papers.html

  34. The pebble bed reactor footprint is small. http://web.mit.edu/pebble-bed/papers.html

  35. Pebbles contain particles of UO2. http://web.mit.edu/pebble-bed/papers.html

  36. Pebbles circulate until used up. • 360,000 pebbles in core • 3,000 pebbles handled daily • 350 pebbles discharged daily 16 m 4.6 m http://web.mit.edu/pebble-bed/papers.html

  37. PBR fuel can not overheat. Doppler broadening If temperature rises, U-238 atoms move faster, Increasing neutron captures, Starving U-235 fissions. • HYPOTHETICAL CASE • Shut off all cooling. • Withdraw control rods. • No emergency cooling. • No operator action. http://pebblebedreactor.blogspot.com/2007/03/china-has-built-pebble-bed-reactor.html

  38. Germany’s AVR confirmed the passive safety of pebble bed reactors in 1960. Test reactor operated 20 years. Helium heated steam for turbine. 12 MW output. 1970 loss of coolant test. Heat stabilized at 300 KW. http://www.romawa.nl/nereus/crashtests.html

  39. Germany also built the THTR-300 Thorium High Temperature Reactor in 1983. 300 MW electric power output. Fueled with U-235 and Th-232. 67,000 6-cm graphite pebbles. Pressure vessel of reinforced concrete. 180 m high dry cooling tower. 1985, fuel pellet lodged in feed pipe. 1989, shut down after Chernobyl. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THTR-300

  40. MIT collaborated with China to build the HTR-10 demonstration PBR. HTR-10 High Temperature Reactor 10 MW thermal Cooled by helium gas. Helium makes steam for turbine, today. Now designing helium turbines with magnetic bearings. Loss-of-coolant passive safety demonstrated live on Australian TV. HTR-10 at China's Tsinghua University http://www.abc.net.au/science/broadband/catalyst/asx/chinaNuclear_hi.asx

  41. China is building a 190 MW demonstration PBR plant, to be followed by 18 others. Demonstration plant for 19 pebble bed reactors. http://pebblebedreactor.blogspot.com/2007/03/china-has-built-pebble-bed-reactor.html

  42. South Africa is building its own Pebble Bed Modular Reactor design. PBMR German tech license 165 MW 20-30 units for SA Exports planned US NRC, prelim app Price goal ~ $200M Pilot plant $ R&D overrun 2013 fuel loading Participants South African gov’t Westinghouse Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Kadak, MIT PBMR vessel, heat exchangers, turbines and generator Uranium fuel production http://pebblebedreactor.blogspot.com/2007/03/south-africa-is-building-pebble-bed.html

  43. The 950oC PBR heat enables making hydrogen from water. Source: Kloosterman, TU Delft

  44. H2 + CO2make the auto and truck fuelsmethanol and dimethyl ether. • CO2 + 3 H2 CH3OH + H2O (methanol + water) • CO2 from coal power plants • or thin air? • Methanol can replace gasoline fuel. • Methanol  more hydrocarbons • Dimethyl ether H3C-O-CH3can replace diesel fuel. George Olah et al, Beyond Oil and Gas: The Methanol Economy http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-3002324-5263902?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=olah+beyond+oil+and+gas&x=0&y=0

  45. MIT designed shippable PBR modules. http://web.mit.edu/pebble-bed/papers.html

  46. Rethinking Nuclear Power5. New Technologies Small reactors Bob Hargraves, Hanover NH

  47. GT-MHR is General Atomics Gas Turbine Modular High temperature Reactor. GT-MHR 286 MW. 560oC helium gas cooled. 48% efficiency. Electromagnetic bearings. Single shaft. Pyrolytic carbon multi-layered fuel particles, like PBR. Designed to burn excess Russian plutonium fuel 10 MW research reactor planned for University of Texas. http://gt-mhr.ga.com/1simpl_all.html http://larouchepub.com/eiw/public/2006/2006_10-19/2006_10-19/2006-13/pdf/42-43_613_ecohtr.pdf

  48. GT-MHR modules are below grade. Reactor 500 MW thermal 102 column annular core hexagonal prismatic blocks Power conversion system single shaft generator turbine compressors precooler intercooler recuperator reference

  49. Press Release: April 17, 2008, US DOE issues RFI for NGNP using HTGR. Competitors Westinghouse PBMR, with PBMR Pty, INET, Tshingua University, Shaw Group, Sargent and Lundy General Atomics GT-MHR Areva Antares Prize $18M x 10 yrs design subsidy. $1B build by 2021? $50B market by 2030? Translation United StatesDepartment of Energyissued aRequest for Informationpreparatory to aRequest for Proposalto design theNext Generation Nuclear Plant (Gen IV) using aHigh Temperature Gas Reactor. http://djysrv.blogspot.com/2008_04_13_archive.html

  50. Westinghouse is part of South Africa’s PBMR project. PBMR is Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Pty Limited, of South Africa. Helium Test Facility and Heat Test Transfer Facilities now operating. 165 MW pilot plant construction to begin in 2010, near Capetown. Ministry of Public Enterprises projects 20 to 30 units in South Africa. PBMR Ltd may eventually export 10 units per year; pre-licensing with NRC started. http://www.pbmr.co.za/

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