Alex C. Mueller

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a knowledge-based energy future for improved
welfare Session "from waste to value" "Where
do we stand, where do we go" ? European
Position (nuclear) ?
Alex C. MUELLER CNRS-National Institute for
Nuclear and Particle Physics
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Growth in World Energy Demand
("typical" predictions)
also "typical" electricity1/3 of primary
Nuclear share of electricity 17 world-wide 35
Europe 80 France
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Cumulated CO2 emissions from different means of
electricity production

• Production Mode grams CO2 /kWh
• Hydro-electricity 4
• Nuclear 6
• Wind 3-22
• Photovoltaic 60-150
• Combined-cycle gas turbine 427
• Natural gas direct-cycle 883
• Fuel 891
• Coal 978

Range reflects the assumption on how the large
amount of energy for making the systems is
generated!!
Source SFEN, ACV-DRD Study
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Life Cycle Emissions
From A. Voss (IER Stuttgart)
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The German Plan Political Fiction (2020 -40)
Red Point Flocard extrapolation And continuation
of Nuclear Power at present level
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Total life cycle raw material requirements
Source Marheineke 2002
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Generations of nuclear power plants
Generation III

• ABWR, System 80, AP600, EPR

• Passive safety features
• Standardized designs
• Combined license

from van Heek Groningen Energy Convention 2005
Atoms for Peace
TMI-2
Chernobyl
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
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Nuclear energy makes 880 TWh/y (35 of EU's
electricity), but PWR produce important amounts
of high level waste

• Nuclear Waste from
• present LWR's
• (Light Water Reactors)
• is highly radiotoxic
• (108 Sv/ton)
• at the end of present-
• type nuclear deployment
• about 0.3 Mtons, or
• 3x1013 Sv, compare to
• radiation workers
• limiting dose of 20mSv
• the initial radiotoxicity
• level of the mine is
• reached after more
• than 1 Mio years
• worldwide, at present

• Geologic time storage of spent fuel is heavily
  debated
• leakage in the biosphère ?
• expensive (1000 /kg), sites? (Yucca mountain
  would hold 0.07 Mio tons!!)
• public opposition
• Long term Energy Concerns
• availability of oil, gas, coal (and uranium!)
• global warming induced by fossile fuels

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The Yucca Mountain Dilemma

• In the United States, the current plan is to
  send all spent nuclear fuel to the
• Yucca Mountain Repository. The challenge
  they are faced with is that new
• repositories will be needed as nuclear energy
  continues or grows.

Speaker _at_ Yucca Mountain
M. Capiello G. Imel (ANL) (ICRS-10/RPS2004)
EIA 1.5 Growth
MIT Study
6-Lab Strategy
Spent Fuel (metric tons)
Secretarial Recommendation on second repository
Constant 100 GWe
Capacity based on limited exploration
Year
Legislatedcapacity
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Neutron consumption per fission ("D-factor") for
thermal (red) and fast (blue) neutron spectra

• D ? 0 implies a source of neutrons is required,
• whereas D lt 0 implies excess neutron
  self-production

Sustainability Fast Neutrons
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ADS Accelerator Driven (subcritical) System for
transmutation
Both critical (fast!!) reactors and sub-critical
Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) are potential
candidates as dedicated transmutation systems.
Critical reactors, however, loaded with fuel
containing large amounts of MA pose safety
problems caused by unfavourable reactivity
coefficients and small delayed neutron
fraction. ADS operates flexible and safe at high
transmutation rate (sub-criticality not virtue
but necessity!)
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Long Term Perspectives of Nuclear Power
Hydrogen, and other products
Near-Term Deployment
Electricity Generation
Waste Burning
Fissile Creation
From van Heek, 2006 Groningen Energy Convention
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A possible Scenario using ADS to
support Generation-III(and even Gen-IV ! )
reactors
(only certain countries e.g. US)
2020 2030 2040 2050
2060
Figure M. Capiello G. Imel (ANL)
(ICRS-10/RPS2004)
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A European Roadmap elaborated by the Technical
Working Group
at the demand of European Research Ministeries
FP5 "PDS-XADS" generated as outcome by TWG members
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FP-5 projects coordinated by ADOPT
Projects on ADvanced Options for Partitioning
and Transmutation (ADOPT)
TRANSMUTATION (3.9 MEuro) Fuels CONFIRM THORIUM
CYCLE FUTURE
PARTITIONING (5 MEuro) PYROREP PARTNEW CALIXPART
TRANSMUTATION (6 MEuro) Preliminary Design
Studies for an Experimental ADS PDS-XADS

• TRANSMUTATION (6.5 MEuro)
• Basic Studies
• MUSE
• HINDAS
• N-TOF_ND_ADS

TRANSMUTATION (7.2 MEuro) Technological
Support SPIRE TECLA MEGAPIE - TEST
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"PDS ADS", central FP5 project
Contract N FIKW-CT-2001-00179 (2001-2004)
A collaboration between Industrial Partners
and Research Organisations F
Framatome-F CNRS CEA I Ansaldo INFN ENEA CRS4
RFA Framatome-D FZK FZJ UFra Esp CIEMAT
Empresarios UPM B SCK IBA Tractebel UK NNC
BNFL Pt ITN S KTH Sui PSI Pl UMM NL
NRJ Eur JRC coordinateur général Framatome
(B.Carluec, B.Giraud) coordinateur accélérateurs
CNRS-IN2P3 (A.C. Mueller)
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PDS-XADS Reference Accelerator Layout
Strong RD construction programs for LINACs
underway worldwide for many applications
(Spallation Sources for Neutron Science,
Radioactive Ions Neutrino Beam Facilities,
Irradiation Facilities)
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From FP5 PDS-XADS to FP6 EUROTRANS
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PDS-XADS Reference Accelerator Layout
Strong RD construction programs for LINACs
underway worldwide for many applications
(Spallation Sources for Neutron Science,
Radioactive Ions Neutrino Beam Facilities,
Irradiation Facilities)
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2006 Succes of the Megapie experiment at PSI
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(No Transcript)
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(personal) vision/hope
A European XT-ADS Based on the Belgium MYRRHA
site-proposol Operational "say" 2016 Cost
"say" 500 M
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Generation IV International Forum

• DOE has engaged governments, industry and
  research institutions in a worldwide discussion
  on the development of Generation IV nuclear
  energy systems
• Roadmap adopts a worldwide perspective and
  long-term view -- it is an International Product

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Interests of participating countries for GEN IV
Systems
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VHTR

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GFR
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SFR
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LFR
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SCWR
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MSR
GFR Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor LFR Lead-Cooled
Fast Reactor MSR Molten Salt Reactor SFR
Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor SCWR Supercritical
Water-Cooled Reactor VHTR Very-High-Temperature
Reactor
July 2005
? leading role
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Very-High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR)

• Characteristics
• Helium coolant
• 900-950C outlet temp
• Water-cracking cycle
• Benefits
• Hydrogen production
• High degree of passive safety
• High thermal efficiency
• Process heat applications

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Supercritical-Water-Cooled Reactor (SCWR)

• Characteristics
• Water coolant at supercritical conditions
• 550C outlet temperature
• 1700 MWe
• Simplified balance of plant
• Benefits
• Efficiency near 45 with excellent economics

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Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GFR)

• Characteristics
• Helium coolant
• 850C outlet temperature
• Direct gas-turbine cycle
• 600 MWth/288 MWe
• Benefits
• Waste minimization and efficient use of uranium
  resources

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Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor (LFR)

• Characteristics
• Pb or Pb/Bi coolant
• 550C to 800C outlet temperature
• 120400 MWe
• 1530 year core life
• Cartridge core for regional fuel processing
• Benefits
• Proliferation resistance of long-life cartridge
  core
• Distributed electricity generation
• Hydrogen production
• High degree of passive safety

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Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (SFR)

• Characteristics
• Sodium coolant
• 550C Outlet Temp
• 600 to 1500 MWe
• Metal fuel with pyroprocessing, or
• MOX fuel with advanced aqueous processing
• Benefits
• Waste minimization and efficient use of uranium
  resources
• Remark
• Revival of Superphénix Technology

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Molten Salt Reactor (MSR)

• Characteristics
• Fuel liquid fluorides of Na, Zr, U and Pu
• 700800C outlet temperature
• 1000 MWe
• Low pressure (lt0.5 MPa)
• Alternate Fuel
• Thorium possible
• Benefits
• Final burn transmutation
• Avoids fuel development
• Proliferation resistance through low fissile
  material inventory

• Major personal comment
• Thorium fueled nuclear reactors do not need
• to be accelerator-driven
• unnecessary economic burden and technical
• complication

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Projections for Germany by
(Data A. Voss et al)
GG-reduction targets 2010 -21 2020 -35 2030
-50 (for PEE,CCT, ERL and ERA) PEE massive use
of "renewables" CCT "clean carbon"
technologies ERL prolong life of present
PWR ERA re-introduce nuclear power
Electricity Cost in 2030 in 2000 /MWh 36
55 50 38 25 Cumulated Reduction
Cost in Billion 2000 0 110 86 -30
-113
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.and the "truth" of the French Stock Exchange
AREVA stock evolution over 10 years black) as
compared to CAC40 index (violet)
EDF since recent privitatizing and Stock
introduction (black, blue MM50)