UK Nuclear Energy R&D
Fiona Rayment July 2015 1st commercial nuclear power station – Calder Hall 1956
• UK civil nuclear programme evolved from weapons
• Design to operation over 4 year period
• Uranium metal fuel with CO2 cooling
• Classified as Generation I
• Capacity 200MWe
UK Experience of Different Systems
Sodium-cooled Gas-cooled Water-cooled fast reactors reactors reactors
1950 Magnox DFR 1960 SGHWR
1970 HTR PFR AGR 1980 Sizewell B PWR 1990
Present UK R&D: The Fuel Cycle and Beyond
• Continued operation of existing reactors & fuel cycle facilities (fuel fabrication, reprocessing)
• Legacy waste management / decommissioning
• New nuclear build including Pre-GDA
• Geological disposal
• Small Modular Reactor investment and development
• Virtual Engineering and High Performance Computing
• Advanced reactor & fuel cycles
• Space energy systems
• Security, non-proliferation & safeguards
NNL employees have over 10,000 person-years of nuclear industry experience Current UK Nuclear Programme
200 companies : 44 000 people : 30 universities UK Nuclear R&D Facilities Facilities - NNL
Over £1.5bn of Nuclear R&D Infrastructure
An investment of over £300M in world- leading nuclear R&D facilities including;
•Dedicated Fuel Development Laboratories
•HOT modular cells
•HOT cell cave facility
•Active & Inactive solvent extraction labs
National Nuclear Laboratory: Our Role
Universities NNL Industry
Technology Basic Science Research, Development and Testing Deployment • Proof of principle • Convert why (science) to how • Application of product • Small scale (technology) • Full scale • Low radiation • Independent and authoritative • Solution to problem • Surrogate materials • Establish practicality • Marketable • Non-licensed • Scale up • Actual materials • Licensed facilities
Independent, Authoritative, Subject Matter Experts
Technology maturity The Carbon Plan – Future Energy
• Legally binding 80% emission reduction by 2050 • Low carbon generation needed for: • Electricity • All transportation
• Domestic and Industrial Heat, Light & Higher renewables; more energy Power efficiency • Electricity grid grows from ~85 GWe to
~300GWe Higher CCS; more bioenergy • Generation sources ~ 33% renewables, CCS and nuclear
Higher nuclear; less energy efficiency Nuclear Industrial Strategy
A response by Government and industry setting out a positive vision for the nuclear industry
“A vibrant UK nuclear industry that is an area of economic and strategic national strength, providing the UK with a safe reliable and affordable supply of low- carbon electricity”
Nuclear Industrial Strategy objectives
• To be a ‘top table’ nuclear nation, working in international partnerships leading the direction of future technology advances across the fuel cycle. • To be a key partner of choice in commercialising Generation III+, IV and SMR technologies worldwide. • To have a joined up approach to nuclear R&D … • For the research base to be underpinned by world-leading facilities … • To be a respected partner contributing to appropriate international research programmes … • To have the right level of nuclear innovation and R&D to ensure near-term commercial success in domestic and global markets. • For industry to be supported by a workforce with the skills, capability and capacity required to successfully deliver current and future UK nuclear programmes … The “First Wave”
16 GWe NPP Construction
EDF Energy UK 2 x 1600MW Areva EPRs for Hinkley Point 2 x 1600MW Areva EPRs for Sizewell EU State Aid decision expected autumn 2014 Final investment approval expected late 2014 / early 2015
Horizon Nuclear Power Ltd (Owned by Hitachi) 2 x GE-Hitachi ABWRs at both Wylfa and Oldbury
NuGeneration Ltd (Toshiba-Westinghouse/GDF Suez Joint Venture) 3 x 1100MW AP1000s at Moorside, near Sellafield Future Waves - Beyond 2050: Scenarios for UK deployment
Higher renewables; more energy efficiency
Higher CCS; more bioenergy
Higher nuclear; less energy efficiency
Technology • LWRs • SMRs • Gen IV systems
Deliver long term secure energy on the way to a low carbon energy future Beyond 16 GWe - Future Roadmap Open or Closed?
• Possibility of Expanded Programme up to 75 GW
• Baseline, open and closed fuel cycle
• R&D to keep options open for scenarios 16 to 75GW
• International collaboration important for future nuclear energy R&D NIRAB National Programme Baseline
Programme Areas • Fuels • Reactors • Recycle • Waste Management • Essential Enablers/Cross Cutting Themes
Suggested Budget • £50M pa Within the last 3 years, a total of £150M has been invested by UK Government in Nuclear R&D
Description Value Funder (£million) National Nuclear User Facility £15.0 BIS (£10M) and DECC In addition, further R&D (£5M) Jules Horowitz Reactor £12.5 DECC funding totalling £185M over last 3 years from; Central Lab Phase 3 £5.5 BIS • Government: NNUF - £60M National Fuel Centre of Excellence £8.0 BIS • NNL - £5M ADRIANA £1.0 DECC • Industry - £120M TSB competition – Developing the Civil £18.0 TSB (with funding Nuclear Supply Chain (part 1) contributions from EPSRC, DECC and NDA) NAMRC Sharing in Growth – programme to £38.0 BIS support supplier growth and innovation University Grants £36.0 RCUK (£12M per annum) Capital grants for research centre £7M DECC development Initial R&D National Programme £2.7 DECC TSB competition – Developing the Civil £13.0 TSB (with funding Nuclear Supply Chain (part 2) contributions from DECC and NDA)
TOTAL £150 Early National Program Future Nuclear Energy
• Strategic Assessment • UK fuel cycle modelling • Generic feasibility assessment of fuel cycle and reactor technologies • Reactor technology • Life extension of existing fleet • Fast reactors, HTRs (Gen IV systems) + SMRs • Advanced fuel technology • Advanced fissile compounds for accident tolerant fuels and fast reactors • Accident tolerant cladding materials • Advanced recycle and waste technology • Aqueous and molten salt technology development • Advanced immobilisation technologies
Early National Program: Accident Tolerant Fuel
UN fuel • Modelling results in a smaller diameter, lower enriched fuel • Trade-off between higher density (compared to UO2) and criticality controls for a given enrichment. • Savings on fabrication extrapolated up to $4,500M for lifetime of a 16GWe LWR fleet.
SiC cladding SiC clad assembly costs • Increased melting point and reduced neutron absorption leads to increased power output • Benefits taken through core uprating or decreased fuel loading frequency • Off-sets increased fuel fabrication costs, with SiC clad fuel approximately 1.5x the cost of standard zirconium alloy clad fuel
Zirconium alloy clad assembly costs Early National Program Energy Scenarios Early National Program: Advanced Aqueous Separations
• Experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of an advanced proliferation resistant recycle technology • Demonstrated at realistic Pu concentrations (much higher than previous CEA work) • Used advanced solvent extraction technology (centrifugal contactors) • Demonstrated sequential stripping of actinides (separation of Am/Cm from Pu/Np reduces the volumes of high dose material) • This technology is a key enabler for some advanced fuel cycles.
20 Conclusions
• UK Nuclear Industry pioneer in nuclear generation
• Lifetime extensions being pursued for AGR and PWR stations
• Nuclear is and will continue to be a key component of UK Energy mix and an expansion programme is underway; • First Wave creating 16 GWe installed capacity • Further waves of up to 75 Gwe installed capacity
• UK Government will contribute funding for research and development, innovation, skills to enable further energy scenarios to be realised.
• Within the last 3 years a total of £150m has been announced from UK Government for investment on Nuclear Energy R&D
• Further investment is expected for Nuclear Energy programmes totalling £50m per annum through the NIRAB.