History, Background, and Current MSR Developments
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WHAT WILL ADVANCED NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS COST? a Standardized Cost Analysis of Advanced Nuclear Technologies in Commercial Development
WHAT WILL ADVANCED NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS COST? A Standardized Cost Analysis of Advanced Nuclear Technologies in Commercial Development AN ENERGY INNOVATION REFORM PROJECT REPORT PREPARED BY THE ENERGY OPTIONS NETWORK TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 1 1. Study Motivation and Objectives 6 Why Care about Advanced Nuclear Costs? 7 Origins of This Study 8 A Standardized Framework for Cost Analysis 8 2. Results 9 3. Study Methodology 14 EON Model 15 Company Preparedness and Strategies 19 Limits of This Analysis 20 Certainty Levels for Advanced Nuclear Cost Estimates 20 Realistic Considerations That May Influence Cost 21 4. Advanced Nuclear’s Design and Delivery Innovations 22 Context: The Cost of Conventional Nuclear 23 Design Considerations for Conventional Nuclear Reactors 24 Safety Enhancements of Advanced Nuclear 24 Overview of Reactor Designs 25 Delivery Issues with Conventional Nuclear Power 27 Innovations in the Delivery of Advanced Nuclear Technologies 28 Design Factors That Could Increase Advanced Nuclear Costs 30 5. Conclusions 31 6. References 32 Appendix A: Nuclear Plant Cost Categories 34 Appendix B: Operating Costs for a Nuclear Plant 35 Appendix C: Cost Category Details and Modeling Methodology 36 Appendix D: External Expert Review of Draft Report 43 THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY: A STANDARDIZED COST ANALYSIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Advanced nuclear technologies are controversial. Many people believe they could be a panacea for the world’s energy problems, while others claim that they are still decades away from reality and much more complicated and costly than conventional nuclear technologies. Resolving this debate requires an accurate and current understanding of the increasing movement of technology development out of national nuclear laboratories and into private industry. -
Molten-Salt Technology and Fission Product Handling
Molten-Salt Technology and Fission Product Handling Kirk Sorensen Flibe Energy, Inc. ORNL MSR Workshop October 4, 2018 2018-10-16 Hello, my name is Kirk Sorensen and I’d like to talk with you today about fission products and their handling in molten-salt reactors. One of the things that initially attracted me to molten-salt reactor technology was the array of options that it gave for the intelligent handling of fission products. It represented such a contrast to solid-fueled systems, which mixed fission products in with unburned nuclear fuel in a form that was difficult to separate, one from another. While my focus will be on our work on molten-salt reactor fission product handling, many of the principles are general to molten-salt reactors as a whole. Fundamental Nuclear Reactor Concept In its simplest form, a nuclear reactor generates thermal energy that is carried away by a coolant. That coolant heats the working fluid of a power conversion system, which generates electricity from part of the thermal energy and rejects the remainder to the environment. coolant working fluid fresh fuel electricity Power Nuclear Heat Conversion Reactor Exchanger System spent fuel heated water or air coolant working fluid The primary coolant chosen for a nuclear reactor determines, in large part, its size and manufacturability. The temperature of the coolant determines the efficiency of electrical generation. Fundamental Nuclear Reactor Concept In its simplest form, a nuclear reactor generates thermal energy that is carried away by a coolant. That coolant heats the working fluid of a power conversion system, which generates electricity from part of the thermal energy and rejects the remainder to the environment. -
A Comparison of Advanced Nuclear Technologies
A COMPARISON OF ADVANCED NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES Andrew C. Kadak, Ph.D MARCH 2017 B | CHAPTER NAME ABOUT THE CENTER ON GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY The Center on Global Energy Policy provides independent, balanced, data-driven analysis to help policymakers navigate the complex world of energy. We approach energy as an economic, security, and environmental concern. And we draw on the resources of a world-class institution, faculty with real-world experience, and a location in the world’s finance and media capital. Visit us at energypolicy.columbia.edu facebook.com/ColumbiaUEnergy twitter.com/ColumbiaUEnergy ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS SIPA’s mission is to empower people to serve the global public interest. Our goal is to foster economic growth, sustainable development, social progress, and democratic governance by educating public policy professionals, producing policy-related research, and conveying the results to the world. Based in New York City, with a student body that is 50 percent international and educational partners in cities around the world, SIPA is the most global of public policy schools. For more information, please visit www.sipa.columbia.edu A COMPARISON OF ADVANCED NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES Andrew C. Kadak, Ph.D* MARCH 2017 *Andrew C. Kadak is the former president of Yankee Atomic Electric Company and professor of the practice at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He continues to consult on nuclear operations, advanced nuclear power plants, and policy and regulatory matters in the United States. He also serves on senior nuclear safety oversight boards in China. He is a graduate of MIT from the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department. -
0409-TOFE-Elguebaly
BBenenefitsefits ooff RRadadialial BBuuildild MinMinimimizatioizationn anandd RReqequuirirememenentsts ImImposedposed onon AARRIEIESS CComompapacctt SStetellallararatotorr DDeesigsignn Laila El-Guebaly (UW), R. Raffray (UCSD), S. Malang (Germany), J. Lyon (ORNL), L.P. Ku (PPPL) and the ARIES Team 16th TOFE Meeting September 14 - 16, 2004 Madison, WI Objectives • Define radial builds for proposed blanket concepts. • Propose innovative shielding approach that minimizes radial standoff. • Assess implications of new approach on: – Radial build – Tritium breeding – Machine size – Complexity – Safety – Economics. 2 Background • Minimum radial standoff controls COE, unique feature for stellarators. • Compact radial build means smaller R and lower Bmax fi smaller machine and lower cost. • All components provide shielding function: – Blanket protects shield Magnet Shield FW / Blanket – Blanket & shield protect VV Vessel Vacuum – Blanket, shield & VV protect magnets Permanent Components • Blanket offers less shielding performance than shield. • Could design tolerate shield-only at Dmin (no blanket)? • What would be the impact on T breeding, overall size, and economics? 3 New Approach for Blanket & Shield Arrangement Magnet Shield/VV Shield/VV Blanket Plasma Blanket Plasma 3 FP Configuration WC-Shield Dmin Magnet Xn through nominal Xn at Dmin blanket & shield (magnet moves closer to plasma) 4 Shield-only Zone Covers ~8% of FW Area 3 FP Configuration Beginning of Field Period f = 0 f = 60 Middle of Field Period 5 Breeding Blanket Concepts Breeder Multiplier Structure FW/Blanket Shield VV Coolant Coolant Coolant ARIES-CS: Internal VV: Flibe Be FS Flibe Flibe H2O LiPb – SiC LiPb LiPb H2O * LiPb – FS He/LiPb He H2O Li4SiO4 Be FS He He H2O External VV: * LiPb – FS He/LiPb He or H2O He Li – FS He/Li He He SPPS: External VV: Li – V Li Li He _________________________ * With or without SiC inserts. -
Medical Isotope Production in Liquid-Fluoride Reactors
Medical Isotope Production in Liquid-Fluoride Reactors Kirk Sorensen Flibe Energy Huntsville, Alabama kirk.sorensen@flibe-energy.com 256 679 9985 Flibe Energy was formed in order to develop liquid-fluoride reactor technology and to supply the world with affordable and sustainable energy, water and fuel. Liquid-Fluoride Reactor Concept Reactor Containment Boundary Turbine Coolant LiF-BeF2-UF4 LiF-BeF2 outlet Primary HX Gas Heater Gas Cooler Generator Reactor core Compressor Coolant inlet Drain Freeze valve Tank Electrical Warm Recompressor Main Compressor Turbine Generator Saturated Air Cool Dry Air Gas Heater High-Temp Low-Temp Gas Cooler Recuperator Recuperator Cooling Water Accum Surge Short-Term Gas Holdup Cryogenic Long-Term Gas Holdup Storage Accum Surge ea Fluor Decay Scrub Decay Tank KOH Bi(Th) Bi(Pa,U) Isotopic Quench metallic Th feed H2 ulFluorinator Fuel 2Reduction H2 HF Electro Bi(Th,FP) Bi(Li) Cell metallic HDLi feed F2 Water Water Coolant Coolant Torus Torus Drain Tank Waste Tank 7 Fuel Salt ( LiF-BeF2-UF4) Fresh Offgas UF6-F2 200-bar CO2 7 Blanket Salt ( LiF-ThF4-BeF2) 1-day Offgas F2 77-bar CO2 7 Coolant salt ( LiF-BeF2) 3-day Offgas HF-H2 Water 7 Decay Salt ( LiF-BeF2-(Th,Pa)F4) 90-day Offgas H2 Waste Salt (LiF-CaF2-(FP)F3) Helium Bismuth The Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment was an experimental reactor system that demonstrated key technologies. Lanthanide Fission Products Alkali- and Alkaline-Earth Fission Product Fluorides c ORNL-TM-3884 THE MIGRATION OF A CLASS OF FISSION PRODUCTS (NOBLE METALS) IN THE MOLTEN-SALT REACTOR EXPERIMENT R. -
Liquid Fluoride Salt Experiment Using a Small Natural Circulation Cell
ORNL/TM-2014/56 Liquid Fluoride Salt Experiment Using a Small Natural Circulation Cell Graydon L. Yoder, Jr. Dennis Heatherly David Williams Oak Ridge National Laboratory Josip Caja Mario Caja Approved for public release; Electrochemical Systems, Inc., distribution is unlimited. Yousri Elkassabgi John Jordan Roberto Salinas Texas A&M University April 2014 DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY Reports produced after January 1, 1996, are generally available free via US Department of Energy (DOE) SciTech Connect. Website http://www.osti.gov/scitech/ Reports produced before January 1, 1996, may be purchased by members of the public from the following source: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 Telephone 703-605-6000 (1-800-553-6847) TDD 703-487-4639 Fax 703-605-6900 E-mail [email protected] Website http://www.ntis.gov/help/ordermethods.aspx Reports are available to DOE employees, DOE contractors, Energy Technology Data Exchange representatives, and International Nuclear Information System representatives from the following source: Office of Scientific and Technical Information PO Box 62 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Telephone 865-576-8401 Fax 865-576-5728 E-mail [email protected] Website http://www.osti.gov/contact.html This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. -
Breakthrough Institute How to Make Nuclear Cheap
HOW TO MAKE NUCLEAR CHEAP July 2013 SAFET Y, READINESS, MODULARIT Y, and EFFICIENCY TED NORDHAUS, JESSICA LOVERING, AND MICHAEL SHELLENBERGER HOW TO MAKE NUCLEAR CHEAP SAFETY, READINESS, MODULARITY, and EFFICIENCY TED NORDHAUS, JESSICA LOVERING, AND MICHAEL SHELLENBERGER THE BREAKTHROUGH INSTITUTE | JULY 2013 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Breakthrough Institute would like to thank the following people for their contri - bu tions to this report. All opinions expressed herein are those of the Break through Institute and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the individuals below. Joseph Chaisson, Research and Technical Director, Clean Air Task Force Armond Cohen, Executive Director, Clean Air Task Force Ashley Finan, Senior Project Manager for Energy Innovation, Clean Air Task Force Richard Lester, Japan Steel Industry Professor and Head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mark Lynas, journalist and visiting research associate, Oxford University’s School of Geography and the Environment Charles Peterson, Partner, Energy Section, Pillsbury Law Per Peterson, William and Jean McCallum Floyd Endowed Chair, Department 4 of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley Burton Richter, Paul Pigott Professor in the Physical Sciences, Stanford University, and Director Emeritus at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Ray Rothrock, Partner, Venrock Jim Swartz, Accel Partners Special thanks to Brian Sergi for preliminary research performed during the 2012 Breakthrough Generation Fellowship program. About the Authors Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger are cofounders of the Breakthrough Institute, where they are Chairman and President, respectively. They are coauthors of Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility as well as dozens of essays and reports on energy, climate change, and the environment. -
System Studies of Fission-Fusion Hybrid Molten Salt Reactors
University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2013 SYSTEM STUDIES OF FISSION-FUSION HYBRID MOLTEN SALT REACTORS Robert D. Woolley University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Nuclear Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Woolley, Robert D., "SYSTEM STUDIES OF FISSION-FUSION HYBRID MOLTEN SALT REACTORS. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2013. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2628 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Robert D. Woolley entitled "SYSTEM STUDIES OF FISSION-FUSION HYBRID MOLTEN SALT REACTORS." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Nuclear Engineering. Laurence F. Miller, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Ronald E. Pevey, Arthur E. Ruggles, Robert M. Counce Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) SYSTEM STUDIES OF FISSION-FUSION HYBRID MOLTEN SALT REACTORS A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Robert D. -
Preliminary Quantitative Feasibility Analysis of Proposed Thorium-Based Nuclear Reactor
IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering PAPER • OPEN ACCESS Preliminary quantitative feasibility analysis of proposed Thorium-based nuclear reactor To cite this article: Anas Muhamad Pauzi et al 2019 IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 555 012006 View the article online for updates and enhancements. This content was downloaded from IP address 43.130.79.121 on 08/10/2021 at 08:30 International Nuclear Science, Technology and Engineering Conference 2018 IOP Publishing IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 555 (2019) 012006 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/555/1/012006 Preliminary quantitative feasibility analysis of proposed Thorium-based nuclear reactor Anas Muhamad Pauzi1,a), Azril Wasim Abdul Wahid1, Juniza Md Saad1 1College of Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Jalan IKRAM-UNITEN, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia [email protected] Abstract. In the beginning of the 21st century, several research institutions and also private companies had proposed various design of thorium-based nuclear reactor, ranging from solid fuel to molten fuel, fast and thermal neutron spectrum and also various path of waste management. This paper studies 10 of the proposed reactor designs by 10 different organizations, three key aspects analysed quantitatively namely price per kilowatt, safety features and spent fuel managements. Corresponding factors contributing to the key aspects mentioned above were gathered, weighted based on evidence available and analysed using decision matrix. Based on the information collected, preliminary ranking were constructed based on trends between various factors. 1. Introduction 1.1. Thorium reactor developer of the 21st century Thorium fuel reactor was first developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in 1950s, under the Aircraft Reactor Experimental (ARE) by Alvin Weinberg, then director of ORNL. -
Two-Dimensional Neutronic and Fuel Cycle Analysis of the Transatomic Power Molten Salt Reactor
ORNL/TM-2016/742 Two-Dimensional Neutronic and Fuel Cycle Analysis of the Transatomic Power Molten Salt Reactor Benjamin R. Betzler, ORNL Jeffrey J. Powers, ORNL Andrew Worrall, ORNL Sean Robertson, TAP Leslie Dewan, TAP Mark Massie, TAP Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. January 15, 2017 DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY Reports produced after January 1, 1996, are generally available free via US Department of Energy (DOE) SciTech Connect. Website: http://www.osti.gov/scitech/ Reports produced before January 1, 1996, may be purchased by members of the public from the following source: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 Telephone: 703-605-6000 (1-800-553-6847) TDD: 703-487-4639 Fax: 703-605-6900 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.ntis.gov/help/ordermethods.aspx Reports are available to DOE employees, DOE contractors, Energy Technology Data Ex- change representatives, and International Nuclear Information System representatives from the following source: Office of Scientific and Technical Information PO Box 62 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Telephone: 865-576-8401 Fax: 865-576-5728 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.osti.gov/contact.html This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal lia- bility or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or rep- resents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. -
Effect of Flibe Thermal Neutron Scattering on Reactivity of Molten Salt Re- Actor
EPJ Web of Conferences 239, 14008 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202023914008 ND2019 Effect of FLiBe thermal neutron scattering on reactivity of molten salt re- actor 1 1, 1, 1 1 1,2 1 Yafen Liu , Wenjiang Li ∗, Rui Yan ∗∗, Yang Zou , Shihe Yu , Bo Zhou , and Xiangzhou Cai 1Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, CAS, Shanghai, 201800, China 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China Abstract. Thermal neutron scattering data has an important influence on the calculation and design of reactor with a thermal spectrum. However, as the only liquid fuel in the Gen-IV reactor candidates, the research on the thermal neutron scattering effect of coolant and somewhat moderator FLiBe has not been carried out sufficiently either experimentally or theoretically. The effect of FLiBe thermal neutron scattering on reactivity of TMSR- LF (thorium molten salt reactor - liquid fuel), TMSR-SF (thorium molten salt reactor - solid fuel) and MSRE (molten salt reactor experiment) were investigated and compared. Results show that the effect of FLiBe thermal neutron scattering on reactivity depends to some extent on the fuel-graphite volume ratio of core. Calculations indicate that FLiBe thermal neutron scattering of MSRE (with the hardest spectrum) has the minimum effect of 41 pcm on reactivity, and FLiBe thermal neutron scattering of TMSR-SF (with the softest spectrum) has the maximum effect of -94 pcm on reactivity, and FLiBe thermal neutron scattering of TMSR-LF has an effect of -61 pcm on reactivity at 900 K. 1 Introduction tionally [5]. When neutrons are moderated to thermal, the binding of the scattering nucleus in a liquid moderator ma- In a thermal neutron reactor, when neutron energy exceeds terial affects the scattering cross section and the energy and 4 eV, the binding energy within the molecule is not impor- angular distribution of secondary neutrons. -
“Advanced” Isn't Always Better
SERIES TITLE OPTIONAL “Advanced” Isn’t Always Better Assessing the Safety, Security, and Environmental Impacts of Non-Light-Water Nuclear Reactors “Advanced” Isn’t Always Better Assessing the Safety, Security, and Environmental Impacts of Non-Light-Water Nuclear Reactors Edwin Lyman March 2021 © 2021 Union of Concerned Scientists All Rights Reserved Edwin Lyman is the director of nuclear power safety in the UCS Climate and Energy Program. The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet’s most pressing problems. Joining with people across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future. This report is available online (in PDF format) at www.ucsusa.org/resources/ advanced-isnt-always-better and https:// doi.org/10.47923/2021.14000 Designed by: David Gerratt, Acton, MA www.NonprofitDesign.com Cover photo: Argonne National Laboratory/Creative Commons (Flickr) Printed on recycled paper. ii union of concerned scientists [ contents ] vi Figures, Tables, and Boxes vii Acknowledgments executive summary 2 Key Questions for Assessing NLWR Technologies 2 Non-Light Water Reactor Technologies 4 Evaluation Criteria 5 Assessments of NLWR Types 8 Safely Commercializing NLWRs: Timelines and Costs 9 The Future of the LWR 9 Conclusions of the Assessment 11 Recommendations 12 Endnotes chapter 1 13 Nuclear Power: Present and Future 13 Slower Growth, Cost and Safety Concerns 14 Can Non-Light-Water Reactors