generation iv gas-cooled reactor concepts

7/28/2019 Generation IV Gas-Cooled Reactor Concepts

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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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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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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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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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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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PBR Fuel

Pebbles are 60 mm


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PBR With IHXTurbomachinery

Module

IHX ModuleReactor

Module


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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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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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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



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Conceptual PMR


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PMR Response to Loss of Coolant


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PMR R&D Needs

Similar to PBR

Fuel performance qualification

Fuel manufacturing quality

Higher temperature vessel materials qualification

Turbomachinery bearings


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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



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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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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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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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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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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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Reference VHTR with IHX and

Hydrogen Production


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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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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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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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GFR R&D Needs

Fuel, structural and core materials

Passive safety system capabilities

Recycle techniques


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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.

generation iv gas-cooled reactor concepts

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