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Generation IV Gas-cooled ReactorSystem Concepts
Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
Generation IV Roadmap SessionANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV
November 13, 2001
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
2Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
People Involved in This Work Abram, Tim British Nuclear Fuels, LTD.
Ball, Syd Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Ballot, Bernard Framatome-ANP
Carre, Franck * Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique
Finck, Phillip Argonne National Laboratory
Fukuda, Kosaku International Atomic Energy Agency
Greneche, Dominique COGEMA Hildebrandt, Phil * EMT Inc.
Kadak, Andy Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kendall, Jim International Atomic Energy Agency
Khalil, Hussein Argonne National Laboratory
Kim, shin whan KOPEC
Lensa, Werner von EURATOM / FZJ Juelich Ogawa, Masuro JAERI
Royen, Jacques OECD-NEA
Shenoy, Arkal General Atomics
Southworth, Finis ** *** INEEL
* Co-chair ** Technical Director *** Presenter
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
3Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Introduction
Charter- Identify and evaluate advanced gas cooled reactor
system concepts for advancing the Generation IV goals
A DOE RFI and team solicitations resulted in 21 reactor system
concepts submitted from France, Germany, Japan,
Netherlands, and the U.S.
The 21 concepts were consolidated into four concept sets
The four concept sets have been qualitatively screened to
assess their potential to achieve the generation IV goals The screening used criteria developed by the Evaluation
Methodology Group in support of each goal, and measured
against existing advanced light water reactor designs
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
4Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Gas Cooled Thermal Reactor
General Features Reference concepts used once through LEU fuel cycles
TRISO fuel -- SiC and pyrolytic graphite fission product barriers
Graphite moderated, helium coolant
Naturally safe designs with conductive and radiative decayheat removal
High temperature direct Brayton cycle power conversion
Increased fuel utilization and decreased HLW due to high
thermal efficiency Significant fuel cycle flexibility within a reactor design--
LEU once-through, Pu-MA single recycle, W-Pu, HEU,
Th-U233 converter
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
5Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Pebble Bed Reactor Systems (PBR) Five concepts submitted
Reference concept--
115 MWe, 250 MWth, direct Brayton cycle Low excess reactivity (continuous on-line refueling)
Shows promise for
Modest gains in sustainability Significant advance towards safety goals
Comparable economics
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
6Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
PBR Fuel
Pebbles are 60 mm
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
7Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
PBR With IHXTurbomachinery
Module
IHX ModuleReactor
Module
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
8Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Sample 1150 MWe PBR Plant
Admin
Training
Control
Bldg.
Maintenance
Parts / Tools
10
9
8
7
6 4 2
5 3 1
Primary island with
reactor and IHX
Turbomachinery
Ten-Unit MPBR Plant Layout (Top View)(distances in meters)
Equip
Access
Hatch
Equip
Access
Hatch
Equip
Access
Hatch
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
9Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
PBR R&D Needs Fuel qualification at higher burnups, fluences, and
temperatures.
Beyond design basis event behaviors (air and water ingress)
Fuel manufacturing quality improvements
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
10Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Prismatic Fuel Modular Reactor
Systems (PMR) Five concepts submitted
Reference Concept--
286 MWe, 600 MWth, direct Brayton Cycle
850 C core exit temperature LEU once-through fuel cycle
Fuel cycles submitted included waste transmutation, W-Pu
burner, Th-U233 converter.
Shows promise for
Modest gains in sustainability
Significant advance towards safety goals
Comparable economics
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
11Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Conceptual PMR
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
12Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
PMR Response to Loss of Coolant
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
13Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
PMR R&D Needs
Similar to PBR
Fuel performance qualification
Fuel manufacturing quality
Higher temperature vessel materials qualification
Turbomachinery bearings
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
14Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Very High Temperature Reactor
Systems (VHTR) Four concepts submitted
General features of VHTR--
>900 C coolant core exit temperature prismatic core, 600 MWth, LEU once-through cycle
Shows promise for
Gains in sustainability and flexibility Significant advance towards safety goals
Comparable economics
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
15Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Motivation for VHTRs
30 % of world primary fuel use is to generate electricity
17 % of electricity uses nuclear fuel
Nuclear power can offset other primary fuels in applications
other than electricity
VHTRs may significantly reduce liquid and gaseous fossil
fuel demands
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
16Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Process Heat Applications
T e m p e r a t u r e ( C )2 00 16001 4 0 01 2 0 01 0 0 08 006004 0 0
Desa l ina t ion , D is t r ic t heat ingUrea synthes is
W o o d p u l p m a n u f a c t u r eDeesu lfu r i za tion o f heavy o i l
Pet ro leum re f iner iesT o w n g a s
Sty rene (e thy lbenzene)E thy lene (naph tha , e thane)
Hydrogen (S team re fo rm ing )
Hydrogen ( IS p rocess )Gas i f ica t ion o f coa l
E lec t r ic i t y genera t ion (Gas tu rb ine)
G lass manu fac tu reCement manu fac tu re
wi th B las t fu rnaceD i r e c t r e d u c t i o n m e t h o d
I ron manufac ture
V H T R
H T G R
L M F B R
L W R , H W R
8 5 0 C
550 C
3 2 0 C
8 50 1 50 0 C
N u c l e a r H e a t
App l ica t ion
T e m p e r a t u r e ( C )2 00 16001 4 0 01 2 0 01 0 0 08 006004 0 0
Desa l ina t ion , D is t r ic t heat ingUrea synthes is
W o o d p u l p m a n u f a c t u r eDeesu lfu r i za tion o f heavy o i l
Pet ro leum re f iner iesT o w n g a s
Sty rene (e thy lbenzene)E thy lene (naph tha , e thane)
Hydrogen (S team re fo rm ing )
Hydrogen ( IS p rocess )Gas i f ica t ion o f coa l
E lec t r ic i t y genera t ion (Gas tu rb ine)
G lass manu fac tu reCement manu fac tu re
wi th B las t fu rnaceD i r e c t r e d u c t i o n m e t h o d
I ron manufac ture
V H T R
H T G R
L M F B R
L W R , H W R
8 5 0 C
550 C
3 2 0 C
8 50 1 50 0 C
N u c l e a r H e a t
App l ica t ion
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
17Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Effect of temperature on
Sustainability
0
20
40
60
80
100
30 40 50 60 70
Thermal efficiency (%)
Percentofcu
rrent
standard(%)
Power cost
Fission productwaste
Reject heatcooling water
consumption
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
18Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
IS Process for Hydrogen ProductionNuclear HeatNuclear Heat
HydrogenHydrogen OxygenOxygen
H2 O221
900 C400 C
RejectedHeat 100 C
RejectedHeat 100 C
S (Sulfur)
Circulation
SO 2+H2O
+
O221
H2SO 4
SO 2
+H2O
H2O
H2
I2
+ 2H I
H2SO 4
SO2+H2OH2O
+
+ +
I (Iodine)
Circulation
2H I
I2
I2
WaterWater
Nuclear HeatNuclear HeatHydrogenHydrogen OxygenOxygen
H2 O221 O22121
900 C400 C
RejectedHeat 100 C
RejectedHeat 100 C
S (Sulfur)
Circulation
SO 2+H2O
+
O221
H2SO 4
SO 2
+H2O
H2O
H2
I2
+ 2H I
H2SO 4
SO2+H2OH2O
+
+ +
I (Iodine)
Circulation
2H I
I2
I2
WaterWater
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
19Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Temperature Capability of Concepts
G-9: GA-VHTR(EG&NPH)
Very High Temperature Reactor
Concept Set
G-18: AHTRReference
(EG&NPH)
Prismatic Modular Reactor
Concept Set
Pebble BedReactor
Concept Set
G-17
APBR(EG&NPH)
HTTRHTR-10
G-12
PHMHR(NPH)
700 C
850 C
950 C
1200 C
1500 C
1000 C
Coolant Outlet
Temperature
EG-Electrical Generation NPH-Nuclear Process Heat Applications
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
20Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Reference VHTR with IHX and
Hydrogen Production
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
21Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
VHTR R&D Needs
Higher temperature fuels (e.g. ZrC instead of SiC)
Higher temperature materials (e.g. ceramic structures)
Passive decay heat removal systems (e.g. heat pipes)
High Temperature IHX
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
22Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Gas Cooled Fast Reactor Systems
(GFR) Four concepts submitted
No complete reference concept
Novel features of the four concepts may illuminate future
development pathways. Three concepts use helium coolant, one uses CO2.
Rely upon recycle.
May allow passive decay heat removal
Show promise for Significant advance in sustainability
Comparable safety performance
Unclear economics
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
23Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Example GFR Prismatic FuelCoolant holes
Cermet or Metmet fuel in
a metallic matrix for
concept G2 Cercer fuel
for concept G7
Active core
Replaceable outer
reflector
Replaceable low-
density reflector or
void
Permanent side
reflector
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
24Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
GFR R&D Needs
Fuel, structural and core materials
Passive safety system capabilities
Recycle techniques
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Technical Working Group 2 -- Gas Cooled Reactor Systems
25Reno ANS Presentation RS041-00 2001 ANS Winter Meeting Reno, NV November 13, 2001
Summary
The advanced gas-cooled thermal reactor system conceptsshow promise for--
Modest improvements in sustainability
Significant improvement toward safety goals
Comparable economics with the potential for major
improvement in applications other than electricity
Fast reactor concepts show--
Significant improvement toward sustainability goals
Much development is needed to define promising concepts
All concept sets allow high temperature process heatapplications, in addition to electrical generation. The VHTR
concepts allow more applications and higher efficiencies.
The next step is to quantitatively assess the concept sets and
define R&D scope.