www.cea.fr

Advanced Sodium Technologica l Reactorfor Indust r ia l Demonstra t ion

A S T R I D

DEN/CAD/DER/CPA

The ASTRID Project : Status and Future Prospects

Pierre LE COZ (CEA) – speaker

Jean-François SAUVAGE (EDF), Jean-Marie HAMY (AREVA NP), Vincent JOURDAIN

(ALSTOM POWER), Jean-Pierre BIAUDIS (COMEX NUCLEAIRE), Hiroyuki OOTA

(TOSHIBA), Thomas CHAUVEAU (BOUYGUES), Philippe AUDOUIN (JACOBS),

Daniel ROBERTSON (ROLLS-ROYCE), René GEFFLOT (ASTRIUM)

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13).

4 - 7 March 2012 - Paris, France

Paper CN-199-261

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 2

The ASTRID objectives

����Industrial technology demonstrator

����Integrating French and international SFRs feedback

����A GEN IV system

Safety :

- Level at least equivalent to GEN III systems (WENRA requirements)

- With significant improvements on Na reactors specificities issues

- Integrating FUKUSHIMA accident feedback

Operability :

- Load factor of 80% or more after first “learning” years

- Significant improvements concerning In Service Inspection & Repair (ISIR)

Ultimate wastes transmutation :

- Continue experimentation on minor actinides transmutation, up to large scales

if decided, according to June 28, 2006 French Act on Wastes Management

A mastered investment cost

����Irradiation services and testing long term

options

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 3

ASTRID general schedule

Open options : innovations and technological

breakthroughs are favored

consolidating the data to obtain a final and consistent design

Submission of a synthesis file to the French government

• January 2010 : the ASTRID project has been launched

and the first schedule has been defined

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 4

ASTRID - Preliminary design choices

1500 thMW - ~600 eMW

pool type reactor

With an intermediate sodium circuit

High level expectations in terms of safety demonstration

Preliminary strategy for severe accidents (core catcher4)

Diversified decay heat removal systems

Oxide fuel UO2-PuO2 for starting cores

Transmutation capability

4.

Main features mid 2010

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 5

Preconceptual design technical choices

• Integration of the electromagnetic pumps

in the design of secondary circuits

• Preferred lay-out :

• 3 primary pumps

• 4 intermediate heat exchangers

• 4 secondary circuits

• 4 decay heat removal circuits

• Conical "redan" inner vessel adopted

• Search for complementary and diversified

decay heat removal systems (no common

mode failure through the roof slab)

• Consider the possibility to prevent the

sodium fires by filling some zones with

inert gases

• Study of new concepts to decrease the fuel

loading-unloading duration

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 6

CFV core adopted for the conceptual design :

• Natural behaviour strongly improved to prevent

severe accidents

• Better natural behaviour to mitigate such

accidents

• Similar qualification program compared to SFR v2

core

THE LOW VOID EFFECT CORE

�Sodium void worth strongly reduced

�Quantification of the potential benefit

from safety point of view is ongoing

Absorbing protection

Sodium plenum

zone

Outer

fissile

zoneInner fertile zone

Upper inner fissile zone

Lower inner fissile zone

Fertile blanket

Neutronic protection

Absorbing protection

Sodium plenum

zone

Outer

fissile

zoneInner fertile zone

Upper inner fissile zone

Lower inner fissile zone

Fertile blanket

Neutronic protection

CFV core

T° = circa 900°C

T° = circa 700°C

Unprotected loss of heat sink (ULOHS)

SFR V2 = power circa 1100 MW at

the beginning of sodium boiling

CFV V2 = power circa 400 MW at the

beginning of sodium boiling

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 7

ACCESS taken into account from the early stage of the project

Slab penetrations

dedicated to ISIR

Access to the strongback

Isolation électrique

Lame arrière

Element piezo

Lame avant

BoitierCâble électrique

Tubes d’aération

US

Ecrou de serrage

Or

Brasures

CARRIERS DEVELOPMENTIn sodium and out of sodium

SENSORS DEVELOPMENTIn sodium and out of sodium

IN SERVICE INSPECTION AND REPAIR

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 8

� Two power conversion systems have been investigated

during the preconceptual design

� Steam PCS

• Most mature system based on a well-developed turbomachinery

technology.

• High plant efficiency.

• Studies on steam generators designs and leak detection

systems in progress with the aim of reducing the

risk of large SWRs and of limiting its consequences.

• Design and general lay-out will be done with steam PCS

during the conceptual design

• licensing safety assessment of a SFR must deal with

the Sodium Water Air reaction (SWAR): trend

to demonstrate a situation practically eliminated.

� Gas PCS

• Strong advantage as it inherently eliminates the SWR and SWAR risks.

• Very innovative option : major breakthroughs but feasibility and viability

not yet demonstrated.

• Remaining technological challenges but no show-stopper indentified.

• Studies will continue during the conceptual design to improve

performances, operability, maintainability and technology readiness

level

POWER CONVERSION SYSTEM

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 9

ASTRID safety approach

► The first Safety orientation document has been submitted to the French

safety Authority

► A Formal review will be led by experts in June 2013

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 10

Decay heat removal

• 2 direct reactor cooling systems: • Na/Na in the main vessel

• air as cold source,

• Redondancy : 2 ou 3 trains per system

(2*100% ou 3*50%)

• System n°1 : natural convection

• System n°2 : forced convection

• 1 complémentary system (mitigation): • Through the Primary Vessel Reactor

• Cold source to be confirmed (water / air)

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 11

ASTRID – Current organization

CEA/Nuclear Energy Division is the leader of the ASTRID project

CEA has concluded bilateral industrial partnerships to cover

main design engineering batches

� AREVA NP: nuclear island (core and fuel remains within CEA scope)

� EDF: support to the owner

� ALSTOM: turbine island

� BOUYGUES : civil engineering

� COMEX NUCLEAIRE: batches in robotics and mechanics

� TOSHIBA for development of large electromagnetic pumps

� JACOBS for the balance of plant

� ROLLS-ROYCE for innovations in fuel handling and heat exhangers

� ASTRIUM for RAMS methodologies

� Ongoing discussions with other French and international companies

CEA is willing to develop international partnerships for technical

developments and experimental facilities.

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 12

Project management team

Global design

CEA

GENIV strategic management

CEA/Nuclear energy directorate

ASTRID project industrial organisation

EDF support

En

gin

ee

rin

g

stu

die

s

AS

TR

ID

ma

na

ge

me

nt

ASTRID team

in MarcouleEDF R&D

InnovationsCOMEX NUCLEAIRE,

TOSHIBA

ROLLS ROYCE

External

assistances

AS

SIS

TA

NC

ES

R&D

Qualification of

the design (CEA)

Specific studies

Expertises (CEA)

Cadarache

Saclay

4Engineering

Batch 1

Engineering

Batch 2

Engineering

Batch N

Engineering

Batch N-1CoreCEA

Nuclear island

and I&CAREVA NP

Power con-

version system ALSTOM

Civil

EngineeringBOUYGUES

Balance

of plantJACOBS

Cad, Sac, Mar Lyon, Paris Belfort, Paris Paris

Cad, Sac, Mar

Paris

About 550 people

Lyon

Paris

Tokyo Marseille Derby

RAMSASTRIUM

Les Mureaux

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 13

2013: the beginning of the conceptual design

• Re-planning of studies due to new duration of conceptual design

• Cost analysing and starting technico-economical assessment:

� Options review

� Safety objectives requirements

� Reinterpretation of specifications requirements

• Finalising option reviews:

� General lay-out and Reactor Block Architecture

� fuel handling,

� Core catcher / Safety vessel, Activation level of secondary sodium

� containment (single or double-wall containment)

This phase could last until mid 2013

Need of a preparatory phase at the

start of AVP2

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 14

Oral sessions:

199/126 - sodium-water reaction

199/127 - Nuclear island

199/242 - core

199/262 - power conversion system

199/263 - Electromagnetic pumps

199/267 - Safety orientations

199/275 - architecture and lay-out

Poster session:

199/165 - In-Service Inspection and Repair

199/264 – project organization

199/265 - environmental steps

199/269 - start-up phase

199/274 - Instrumentation

Other ASTRID project papers

International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Safe Technologies and Sustainable Scenarios (FR13) 15

Thank you for your kind attention !

ASTRID mock-up at the CEA stand