Fast Reactors: A Solution to Fight Against Global Warming

228 Pages·2022·16.437 MB·English

by  Joel Guidez

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Fast Reactors
A Solution to Fight Against
Global Warming
Joel Guidez
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Contents
About the author .......................................................................................................xi
Foreword .................................................................................................................xiii
Introduction ............................................................................................................xvii
CHAPTER 1 Where do Homo sapiens get their energy? ....................1
Some history ...................................................................................2
Global warming ..............................................................................3
What are the energy needs of the future? ...................................7
The return of the electricity fairy? ..................................................9
Electrical energy without CO production? ....................................9
2
A world powered by renewables alone? .......................................10
New research for the future? .........................................................12
And nuclear? .................................................................................13
The new nuclear? ..........................................................................14
Conclusion ....................................................................................14
References .....................................................................................15
CHAPTER 2 What are the advantages of fast reactors? ..................17
Fissile and fertile material ............................................................17
Reminder on the principle of fast reactors ....................................18
Operation of water reactors without spent fuel reprocessing .......19
Water reactors with fuel reprocessing ...........................................20
Reminder on the fuel cycle of fast reactors ..................................22
Reactors that no longer need mining and fuel enrichment ...........23
Almost unlimited energy ..............................................................23
Energy that produces neither CO nor dust ..................................25
2
An energy that has almost zero chemical release
in reactor operation ..................................................................25
Operation that minimizes staff dosimetry .....................................25
Energy that decreases the global amount of radioactive waste ........25
An energy that can drastically reduce the duration
final nuclear waste is hazardous ...............................................26
A small ecological footprint .........................................................27
Conclusion ....................................................................................27
References .....................................................................................28
CHAPTER 3 Fast reactors exist, I’ve met them .................................29
Introduction ...................................................................................30
The very-high-temperature reactor ...............................................31
v
vi Contents
The supercritical water reactor .....................................................33
The gas-cooled fast reactor ...........................................................34
The lead-cooled fast reactor ..........................................................35
The sodium-cooled fast reactor.....................................................39
The molten salt reactor .............................................................40
Conclusions ...................................................................................42
CHAPTER 4 Analysis of the reasons for the failure to deploy
sodium-cooled fast reactors globally in 2021 ............43
Assessment of sodium-cooled fast reactors
in the world in 2021 .................................................................44
Technical difficulties specific to the sodium sector? ....................47
The additional cost compared with PWRs? ..................................48
Industrial domination of PWRs ....................................................49
Specific safety issues? ...................................................................49
The proliferation risk ...............................................................51
Existence of reprocessing plants ...................................................53
Fast reactor fuel manufacturing ....................................................54
Social acceptance ..........................................................................56
The loss of skills ...........................................................................56
Uranium availability .....................................................................57
Conclusions ...................................................................................59
References .....................................................................................61
CHAPTER 5 What fuel for a sodium-cooled fast reactor? ...............63
Introduction ...................................................................................64
Oxide fuel .....................................................................................66
Metallic fuel ..................................................................................69
Carbide fuel ..................................................................................72
Nitride fuel ....................................................................................73
Fuel/manufacturing .......................................................................75
Fuel/reprocessing ..........................................................................76
A choice of fuel according to applications and strategy? .............78
Conclusion ....................................................................................79
CHAPTER 6 Update on the technical state of sodium-cooled
fast reactors in Europe ....................................................81
The ESFR-SMART project ...........................................................82
History of sodium-cooled fast reactors in Europe ........................82
Safety improvement: Objectives and methodology ......................83
Some examples of safety improvement approach
in the ESFR-smart ....................................................................85
Reactivity control .....................................................................85
Contents vii
Containment .............................................................................86
Decay heat removal ..................................................................89
Sodium fire ...............................................................................92
Sodium-water reaction .............................................................92
Dosimetry and releases ............................................................92
Simplicity and human factor ....................................................93
Description of ESFR-SMART primary system including
these new options .....................................................................93
General plant characteristics ....................................................93
Core ..........................................................................................98
Main vessel ..............................................................................99
Inner vessel ..............................................................................99
Reactor roof .............................................................................99
Reactor pit ..............................................................................100
DHRS-3 ..................................................................................100
Primary sodium confinement .................................................101
Core support structure and connection to pump ....................102
Core catcher ...........................................................................102
Primary pump .........................................................................103
Intermediate heat exchanger ..................................................103
Polar table or dome ................................................................105
Description of ESFR-SMART secondary loops .........................105
General description of ESFR-SMART secondary loop .........105
Secondary pump .....................................................................105
Steam generator .....................................................................107
DHRS-1 system .....................................................................108
Piping .....................................................................................110
Safety analysis of the secondary loop .........................................112
General layout of the plant .........................................................115
Handling systems ........................................................................117
Spent fuel handling ................................................................117
Fresh fuel handling ................................................................119
Handling of components ........................................................119
Conclusions on safety improvements .........................................120
R&D needs for ESFR-smart options ..........................................122
Conclusion ..................................................................................124
Acknowledgment ........................................................................125
References ...................................................................................125
CHAPTER 7 Update on molten salt fast reactors ............................127
Principle of operation of molten salt reactors .............................128
The possible types of MSR .........................................................129
viii Contents
Experience feedback on MSRs ...................................................130
Choice of salt (FLiBe) ...........................................................131
The materials ..........................................................................131
Neutronics and flows in the primary ......................................132
Heat extraction .......................................................................132
Salt processing .......................................................................135
Final balance sheet .................................................................136
The potential benefits of MSRs ..................................................137
The advantages of MSR in terms of safety ............................137
The advantages of MSRs in terms of the fuel cycle ..............138
Incineration ............................................................................139
The advantages of MSR in terms of network monitoring ......140
Startup of the reactor ..............................................................141
Reactor shutdown ...................................................................142
The potential advantages of MSRs in terms
of compactness .............................................................142
Situation of MSRs in the world in 2021 .....................................142
Chinese program ....................................................................143
Russian program ....................................................................146
Indian program .......................................................................148
Anglo-Saxon startup projects .................................................148
Analysis of the different concepts ..........................................152
Special situation of France ..........................................................153
The technical challenges of MSRs .............................................156
Choice of salt .........................................................................156
Neutronic ................................................................................158
Neutronics and isotope separation .........................................162
Choice of material ..................................................................162
Salt/fuel chemistry .................................................................165
Fission gas management ........................................................165
Choice of intermediate fluid ..................................................166
The components .....................................................................166
Pumps .....................................................................................167
Exchangers .............................................................................167
Valves .....................................................................................167
Preheating ..............................................................................167
Drain tanks .............................................................................168
Electricity generating circuit ..................................................168
Instrumentation ......................................................................168
In-service inspection ..............................................................169
Security approach and licensing ............................................169
Contents ix
Conclusion on safety ..............................................................172
Waste and dismantling ...........................................................172
Reprocessing ..........................................................................173
Proliferation ...........................................................................174
Conclusion ..................................................................................174
References ...................................................................................174
CHAPTER 8 Conclusion: What future for fast reactors
and our planet? ..............................................................177
Appendix 1: Lessons learned from sodium-cooled fast reactor operation ......179
Appendix 2: Industrial demonstration of the fuel cycle of a sodium-cooled
fast reactor...................................................................................187
Appendix 3: Choice of fuel salt for a U/Pu cycle molten salt reactor .............191
Index ......................................................................................................................207