Innovative Reactor Concepts(Generation IV)
Aliki van Heek
Programme Manager 4th Generation Nuclear
Energy Systems
NRG
22 June 2009
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Contents• Development demand, systems & projects• Innovation for economy• Innovation for safety• Innovation for sustainability
- Early prototype/demo reactors
- Shippingport- Dresden, Fermi I- Magnox
Generation I
- First demo of nuclear power on commercial scale
- Close relationship with DOD
- LWR dominates
- LWR-PWR, BWR- CANDU- HTGR/AGR- VVER/RBMK
Generation II
- Multiple vendors- Custom designs- Size, costs, licensing times driven up
- ABWR, System 80+, AP600, EPR
Generation III
- Passive safety features- Standardized designs
- Combined license
Generation IV
- Highly economical- Proliferation resistant- Enhanced safety- Minimize waste
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Atoms forPeace TMI-2 Chernobyl
- Early prototype/demo reactors
- Shippingport- Dresden, Fermi I- Magnox
Generation I
- First demo of nuclear power on commercial scale
- Close relationship with DOD
- LWR dominates
- Early prototype/demo reactors
- Shippingport- Dresden, Fermi I- Magnox
Generation I
- First demo of nuclear power on commercial scale
- Close relationship with DOD
- LWR dominates
- LWR-PWR, BWR- CANDU- HTGR/AGR- VVER/RBMK
Generation II
- Multiple vendors- Custom designs- Size, costs, licensing times driven up
- LWR-PWR, BWR- CANDU- HTGR/AGR- VVER/RBMK
Generation II
- Multiple vendors- Custom designs- Size, costs, licensing times driven up
- ABWR, System 80+, AP600, EPR
Generation III
- Passive safety features- Standardized designs
- Combined license
Generation IV
- Highly economical- Proliferation resistant- Enhanced safety- Minimize waste
Generation IV
- Highly economical- Proliferation resistant- Enhanced safety- Minimize waste
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Atoms forPeace TMI-2 Chernobyl
3
Development demand
innovativenuclearsystems
econ
omy safety
sustainability
4
Reactor systems
innovativenuclearsystems
econ
omy safety
sustainability
“fast”
“high temperature”“w
ater
-coo
led”
5
European R&D projects
innovativenuclearsystems
econ
omy safety
sustainability
“fast”
“high temperature”“w
arer
-coo
led”
EISOFAR
ELSYGCFR
ALISIA
HPL
WR
RAPH
AEL
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Innovation for economy
• Super-critical water-cooled reactor
• Follow-up development on Generation III reactors currently under construction
• Higher pressure
• Higher temperature
�Higher efficiency
�Better economy
European project:
High Performance Light Water Reactor
(HPLWR)
Cooling water is in ‘super-critical’ state
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European project HPLWR
• High Performance Light Water Reactor
• Main issue: safety
�heat removal under all circumstances
Main activities:
• Fuel element
• Reactor core
• Thermal hydraulic calculations
design
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Innovation for safety• High temperature reactor
• Alternative design with
- helium coolant
- particle fuel
- low power density
�“Melt-free” core
�Higher temperatures
�Also applicable for non-electric energyproducts
European project:
ReActor for Process heat, Hydrogen and ELectricty generation (RAPHAEL)
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European project RAPHAEL
• ReActor for Process heat, Hydrogen and ELectricty generation
• Based on Generation I experience
• Main issue: high temperature materials
• Main part: irradiation experiments of
- Fuel
- Graphite
- Vessel steel
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Innovation for sustainability• Fast reactor designs
• Alternative design with coolant notinteracting with neutrons:
- Sodium
- Lead
- Helium
- Fluoride salt
• Suitable to
- Breed fuel from U-238
- Transmute long-lived waste isotopes
• European projects: one for each coolantmaterial
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European fast reactor projects
• Sodium: European Innovative Sodium-cooledFast Reactor (EISOFAR)
• Lead: European Lead-cooled System (ELSY)
• Helium: Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GCFR)
• Fluoride salt: Assessment of LIquid Salts for innovative applications (ALISIA)
• Generic achievement: first Minor Actinidebearing fuel fabricated and tested within EU Framework projects
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European project: European InnovativeSodium-cooled Fast Reactor (EISOFAR)
• based on Generation I experience• Roadmap written; new project ESFR started• French activity for demonstration reactor• Main issue: sodium chemical reactivity
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European project: European Lead-cooled System (ELSY)
• No Generation I basis (except for a few Soviet submarines)
• R&D basis from earlier projects (ADS)
• Main issue: heavy weight of lead
• Main activities: design and safety analyses
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European project: Gas-Cooled FastReactor (GCFR)
• No Generation I basis
• Earliest fast reactor activityin EU since ’90s break (2003)
• Main issue: heat removalunder all circumstances
• Main activities: design and safety analyses for:
- demonstration reactor
- commercial reactor
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European project: Assessment of LIquidSalts for innovative applications (ALISIA)
• Special feature: fuel dissolved in coolant• No Generation I basis• Main issue: corrosivity of salts• Main activities:
- Salt selection- Integrated reprocessing
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Next step for Fast Reactors: SNE-TP European Industrial Initiative (EII)
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Thank youfor your attention!
www.iket.fzk.de/hplwr/ (HPLWR)www.raphael-project.org/ (RAPHAEL)
www.gcfr.org/ (GCFR)www.elsy-lead.com/ (ELSY)
cordis.europa.eu/ (all EC projects)www.snetp.eu/ (SNE-TP)