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OVERVIEW OF MAIN CURRENT MSR PROJECTS Stéphane BEILS (Framatome) Jérôme SERP, Stéphane BOURG (CEA) Massy, le 22/03/2018 Restricted Framatome Summary .Brief reminder of ORNL past concepts & List of current projects .Preliminary considerations on main options .Overview of some on-going projects MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.2 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) BRIEF REMINDER OF ORNL PAST CONCEPTS & LIST OF CURRENT PROJECTS MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.3 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) 235U, then 233U then 239Pu (no thorium inside) MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.4 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.5 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) Other ORNL studies . Double fluid concepts studied by ORNL in the 60’s: May allow to limit the presence of thorium in the fuel salt, thus facilitating the processing out of fission products, and giving possibility to lower neutron loss due to 233Pa Not further pursued because of: ● Potentially more complex designs, so called « plumbing issues » ● Liquid bismuth reductive extraction able to differentiate between thorium and rare earth FPs ● Ideas to undermoderate the outer zone of the graphite core and limit neutron leakage . Study of the MSR potential for LEU burning (Denatured MSR) in the 70’s Source: David LeBlanc, Nuclear Engineering and Design 240 (2010) 1644-1656 MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.6 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) Other past projects & renewal of the concept . France: review of MSBR concept (EDF, CEA) in the 70’s and 80’s . Japan: THORIMS-NES (Fuji reactors based on MSRE + Accelerator MSB for U233 breeding) since the 80’s . Accelerator driven and subcritical reactor concepts for for waste incineration, among which: US: TIER concepts in the 90’s (TIER1 « once through ») JAERI’s molten-chloride ADS (fast-neutron spectrum) CEA TASSE concept Russia: CSMSR . EDF studies on AMSTER around 2000 for TRU transmutation then breeding in Thorium cycle . Other projects of actinides burners: SPHINX (Czech Republic), REBUS (EDF), MOSART (Kurchatov)… Main source: https://www.oecd-nea.org/ndd/reports/2002/3109/nea3109ch9.pdf MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.7 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) Current projects . Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Project – Liquid Fuel (SINAP, China) thermal see dedicated presentation . MOlten Salt Actinide Recycler and Transmuter (Kurchatov and co, Russia) fast . Molten Salt Fast Reactor (CNRS/SAMOFAR, France) fast . Indian Molten Salt Breeder Reactor, fast And also many start-up . Integral Molten Salt Reactor 400 (Terrestrial Energy, Canada) thermal . Molten Chloride salt Fast Reactor (Terrapower and co, USA) fast . Transatomic Power Reactor (Transatomic + MIT, USA) thermal . ThorCon (Martingale, USA) thermal . Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (Flibe Energy, USA) thermal . Stable Salt Reactor (Moltex Energy, UK) fast . Molten Chloride Fast Reactor (Elysium industries, USA) fast . Seaborg Waste Burner (Seaborg technologies, Denmark) thermal . Copenhagen Atomics Waste Burner (Copenhagen Atomics, Denmark) thermal . … Thorenco Process Heat Reactor, GEM*STAR (ADS)… MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.8 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) Current projects As well as . (Mini)-Fuji (Thorium Tech Solution Inc, Japan) thermal . Dual fluid reactor (IFK Berlin, Germany) fast . … Not to forget solid fuel concepts (thermal) . Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Project – Solid Fuel (SINAP, China) . Fluoride High Temperature Reactor (ORNL, MIT, University of Berkeley and co, USA) : Mk1 PB-FHR, SmAHTR… . MARS (micro-particle fuel autonomous molten salt cooled reactor by Kurchatov, Russia) . … MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.9 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS ON MAIN OPTIONS MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.10 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) Different trends . Main technical options Salt as fuel and/or coolant U/Pu or Th/233U cycle, and more generally fuel management strategy Fast or thermal neutron spectrum Fluoride or chloride salt . Other technical options Fuel loop material Small modular or single large units Intermediate salt … . Strategy for deployment Progressive (e.g., first step close to MSRE design) or Innovative trying to take maximum advantage of the MSR specificities . Organizations National programs, start-up, laboratories… MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.11 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) Salt as fuel and/or coolant . Salt as primary coolant but not fuel (ex. TMSR-SF, FHR) Studied for High Temperature solid fuel Reactors based on TRISO fuel May allow higher power densities than for gas-cooled reactors Intrinsic decay heat removal not achieved as for gas-cooled HTR . Compared to use of salt as coolant and fuel Does not allow drastic simplification of the design (primary circuit, fuel structures and handling…) Does not allow to take benefit from the safety point of view of a liquid fuel MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.12 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) Fuel management strategy . U/Pu cycle (ex. MCFR, LEU burning in IMSR, SNF in TAP) Available materials waiting to be valorized Suited for breeding only in fast neutron spectrum . Th/233U cycle (ex. MSFR studies) Abundant ressources of 232Thorium in the long term Limited TRU production Breeding potential both in thermal and fast neutron spectrum High gamma radiation linked to 232U Potential neutron loss due to 233Pa First loading with U/Pu materials . Batch wise fuel vs online reprocessing . Some concepts may deal with different fissile materials and different use (burn or breed) MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.13 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) Neutron spectrum . Thermal spectrum (ex. « MSRE like design », TMSR-LF) Limited fuel inventory but Needs for reprocessing Negative T°C coefficient which may be positive in some cases (U233 use) Moderator (graphite) may constitute a waste difficult to manage . Fast spectrum (ex. MSFR, MOSART) Strong negative T°C coefficient Minor actinides fissioning Lower (or event no) need for reprocessing but Large fuel inventory High dpa on the critical zone surrounding structures MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.14 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) Molten salt . Chloride salts (ex. MCFR from Terrapower) Some of them can have higher Pu solubility and lower melting T°C but 36Cl production Spectrum hardening (not whisable in fast spectrum with Th-U cycle) . Fluoride salts (most designs): When combined with lithium, requires Li7 enrichment to limit tritium production coming from Li6 Easier fuel reprocessing thanks to UF6 volatility MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.15 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) OVERVIEW OF SOME ON-GOING PROJECTS Main sources: https://www.iaea.org/NuclearPower/Meetings/2016/2016-10-31-11-03-NPTDS.html http://www.energyprocessdevelopments.com/uploads/EPD%20MSR%20Review%20Feasibility%20Study%20July%202015%201.02.pdf MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.16 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) TMSR-LF1 by SINAP, China 2 MWt test reactor Liquid fuel Thermal Research on Th-U cycle in FLiBe (and 168 MWe for TMSR-LF2) (graphite moderator) May be close to the MSRE (first steps in the Chinese learning curve). Significant and serious R&D effort. TMSR-Solid Fuel (Triso) also considered in parallel MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.17 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) MOSART by Kurchatov, Russia 2400 MWt /1000 MWe Liquid fuel Fast Initial fuel: Pu and MA trifluorides from PWR spent fuel in LiF-BeF2 U233 to be provided by Th adjustment (single and double fluid concepts studied) Fast reactor configuration with liquid fuel presenting a high potential for enhanced safety and design simplification. Graphite still present as reflector. A lot of R&D on Russian’s side, notably on materials MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.18 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) MSFR by CNRS, France 3 GWt Liquid fuel Fast LiF-ThF4-UF4-(TRU)F3 Fertile blanket : LiF-ThF4 (double fluid concept) Fast reactor configuration with liquid fuel presenting a high potential for enhanced safety and design simplification. MSFR is retained as the working horse for SAMOFAR project. CNRS also considering the study of a small MSR. MSR overview – Massy, 22/03/2018 Property of Framatome - © Framatome p.19 All rights reserved Confidentiality Framatome (external) Indian Molten Salt Breeder Reactor 850 MWe Liquid fuel Fast LiF-ThF4-UF4 Fertile blanket : LiF-ThF4 Preliminary studied as a possible option within the third stage strategy of India (optimized utilization of thorium). Both pool and loop types studied, as
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