ASKO VUORINEN Planning of Nuclear Power Systems To Save the Planet Ekoenergo Oy August, 2011 The nuclear power could generate 27 % of electricity by 2050 and 34 % by 2075. Nuclear electricity generation can make the biggest change in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and it would be possible to limit the global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. 1 Copyright © 2011 Ekoenergo Oy Lokirinne 8 A 25, 02320 Espoo, Finland Telephone (+358) 440451022 The book is available for internet orders www.optimalpowersystems.com Email (for orders and customer service enquires): [email protected] All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning or otherwise, except under terms of copyright, without the permission in writing of the Publisher. Requests to the publisher should be addressed to Ekoenergo Oy, Lokirinne 8 A 25, 02320 Espoo, Finland or emailed to [email protected]. Comments to the author can be sent directly to [email protected]. Cover page: the Planet and Atoms. Created by my son Architect Teo-Tuomas Vuorinen 2 Table of Contents PREFACE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 13 .ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................................... 15 1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................................... 17 1.1 The smallest particles ........................................................................................................................................ 17 1.2 Theories of nuclear energy ................................................................................................................................ 20 1.3 Development during the Second World War .................................................................................................... 23 1.4 The Manhattan project ...................................................................................................................................... 26 1.5 Other nuclear programs .................................................................................................................................... 33 1.6 Energy of the sun ............................................................................................................................................... 35 1.6.1 The American hydrogen bomb ................................................................................................................... 35 1.6.2 The Soviet hydrogen bomb ......................................................................................................................... 36 1.7 Opposition voices .............................................................................................................................................. 36 2. NUCLEAR REACTORS ................................................................................................................................................ 38 2.1 The first power reactors .................................................................................................................................... 38 2.2 Fast breeder reactors......................................................................................................................................... 38 2.2.1 USA ............................................................................................................................................................. 38 2.2.2 The United Kingdom ................................................................................................................................... 40 2.2.3 France ......................................................................................................................................................... 40 2.2.4 The Soviet Union ......................................................................................................................................... 40 2.3 Graphite reactors ............................................................................................................................................... 42 2.3.1 The Soviet Union ......................................................................................................................................... 42 2.3.2 Magnox in the UK ....................................................................................................................................... 42 2.3.3 The AGR in the UK....................................................................................................................................... 43 2.3.4 UNGG in France .......................................................................................................................................... 43 2.3.5 The HTGR in the US ..................................................................................................................................... 43 2.3.6 The Pebble Bed Reactor in Germany .......................................................................................................... 44 2.4 Pressurized water reactors ................................................................................................................................ 44 2.4.1 Westinghouse ............................................................................................................................................. 45 2.4.2 Combustion Engineering ............................................................................................................................. 46 2.4.3 Babcock Wilcox ........................................................................................................................................... 46 3 2.4.4 VVER (Rosatom, Atomstroiexport) ............................................................................................................. 47 2.4.5 European PWR reactors .............................................................................................................................. 48 2.4.6 The Korean PWR reactors ........................................................................................................................... 49 2.4.7 The Chinese PWR ........................................................................................................................................ 49 2.5 Boiling water reactors ........................................................................................................................................ 50 2.5.1 General Electric BWR .................................................................................................................................. 50 2.5.2 ABWR (GE Toshiba) ..................................................................................................................................... 50 2.5.3 ESBWR (GE Hitachi)..................................................................................................................................... 51 2.5.4 BWR (Asea Atom) ....................................................................................................................................... 51 2.5.5 BWR (Areva) ................................................................................................................................................ 52 2.6 Heavy water reactor .......................................................................................................................................... 52 2.6.1 Candu .......................................................................................................................................................... 52 2.6.2 ACR-1000 .................................................................................................................................................... 53 2.7 Thorium breeder reactors ................................................................................................................................. 53 2.7.1 Molten salt reactor ..................................................................................................................................... 53 2.7.2 VHTR ........................................................................................................................................................... 53 2.7.3 Candu .......................................................................................................................................................... 54 2.7.4 AHWR-300 .................................................................................................................................................. 54 2.7.5 Thorium fired light water reactors ............................................................................................................. 54 3. NUCLEAR PROGRAMS .............................................................................................................................................. 55 3.1 Big plans in the United States ............................................................................................................................ 55 3.2 Finnish nuclear program ...................................................................................................................................