A strategy for the development of HTRVHTR in Europe

1
A strategy for the development of HTR/VHTR in
Europe

• Dominique Hittner
• AREVA NPChairman of the Steering Committee of
  the European HTR Technology Network

2
Which nuclear systems for the 21st Century?

• Fast reactors (SFR, GFR, LFR)
• Long term security of fissile ressources
• Actinide burning

• HTR / VHTR
• Heat supply

economic competitiveness
Safety
Reduction of CO2 emission
Sustainability

• Electricity generation
• LWRs (SCWR), HTR / VHTR, fast reactors

3
Which nuclear systems for the 21st Century?

• No single system can satisfy alone all market
  needs and societal requirements
• Nuclear energy of the future must be flexible in
  order to satisfy multiple needs and requirements.
  Several different systems have to be operated
  in a symbiotic way.
• The balance of efforts between the development of
  the different types of systems and the scheduling
  of these efforts should depend on
• The time scale of market needs
• The status of the technology
• Proposed priorities for nuclear technology
  development
• To keep LWR technology competitive for
  electricity production
• To select the appropriate options for fast
  reactors
• To introduce nuclear energy in the heat market

4
Which nuclear systems for the 21st Century?

• We should start from market needs
• Societal requirements
• Sustainability energy resources available in the
  long term
• Minimised environmental impact (waste and CO2
  release)
• Safety
• Non proliferation
• The energy market, not only electricity but
  mainly heat
• Electricity only 16
• 79 of the remaining by fossil fuel burning
• Increasing cost of fossil fuel (in particular
  gas)
• Global warming concern
• The market already needs nuclear heat applications

US Wellhead natural gas price
5
Which nuclear systems for the heat market?

• Can nuclear systems satisfy heat market needs?
  The technology status limits the potential
• Existing industrial nuclear plants produce large
  quantities of energy (from a few hundreds to
  thousands MW)
• Heat cannot be transported on large distances
• Heat applications of nuclear energy should be
  focused on large local heat uses industrial
  process heat applications
• Which characteristics for process heat
  applications?
• Temperature range from very high (gt 1000C) to
  low temperature ( 100C)
• Power never more than a few hundreds MW locally

6
HTR/VHTR, the best candidate for the industrial
process heat market

• The modular high temperature reactor (HTR) is a
  good candidate for industrial process heat
  applications
• The level of temperature of the heat it can
  supply (? 800C with the technology that can be
  deployed in the next 2 decades) covers a large
  range of applications
• Its power (a few hundreds MW) is in the range of
  the power required for applications
• Its inherent safety features make it attractive
  and are an asset for its acceptability
• In order to enter the heat market as soon as
  possible
• Existing technologies should be used as much as
  possible ? operation temperature should be
  limited to 850-900C
• A demonstration is needed for the industrial
  viability of
• A modular HTR, with improved performances
• The coupling with a process heat applications
• A strong RD support is necessary there are
  still large RD and qualification needs
• Required performances higher than in the past
  (temperature, fuel burn-up) ? materials, fuel
• Development of interface with industrial process
  heat application (never proved at industrial
  scale)
• Incentive for increasing the temperature level in
  the longer term (VHTR)

7
Status of HTR/VHTR development in the world

• Projects of industrial demonstrators are already
  running in many different countries, with large
  public funding support and with large related RD
  programmes
• PBMR in South Africa
• GT-HTR 300 in Japan
• HTR-PM in China
• NHDD in South Korea
• GT-MHR in Russia and US
• NGNP in US
• The starting of operation in all these projects
  is before the end of next decade
• What about Europe?

8
Status of HTR/VHTR development in Europe

• For the time being in Europe there are
• A prototype project, ANTARES, from AREVA and a
  participation of different European organisations
  to PBMR
• A European programme of generic HTR technology
  development (FP5, FP6)

SECONDARY GAS BYPASS
REACTOR CAVITY COOLING SYSTEM (RCCS) TANKS
COMPRESSOR
GAS TURBINE
HEAT RECOVERY STEAM GENERATOR (HRSG)
MODULE FUEL STORAGE AREA
FUEL TRANSFER TUNNEL
RCCS HEADERS AND STANDPIPES
ANTARES
REACTOR VESSEL
MAIN TRANSFORMER
INTERMEDIATE HEAT EXCHANGER (IHX)
CONDENSER COOLING WATER
GENERATOR
L.P. TURBINE
H.P./I.P. TURBINE
CONDENSER
SECONDARY GASISOLATION VALVES (TYPICAL)
9
Proposed strategy for the next step

• The European programme should not only focus on
  generic RD, but should also be involved in the
  worldwide dynamics of development of an
  industrial scale demonstrator
• Either taking the initiative developing a
  European demonstrator with international
  partnership or taking the opportunity of a large
  participation in an international project
• Europe can be credible in international
  cooperation only if it has a strong programme
• To start in FP7 the development of a
  demonstrator and looking for international
  partnership
• Which programme of work for FP7?
• Continuation of base technology development
• Complementing FP5 and FP6
• Developing advanced solutions or improved
  performances
• Qualification in reactor representative
  conditions
• Computer tools
• Fuel (representativeness of industrial
  fabrication, statistics)
• Materials
• Components
• Strong interactions with and possibly
  participation in design work

• Need of large test facilities
• Helium loops
• Large irradiation facilities
• Critical mock-up
• Large flow loops

10
HELITE loop(1 MW)
11
Proposed strategy for the next step

• These prospects represent a large expansion of
  the European programme and would request a larger
  effort
• How much larger?
• Assumptions
• Cost of the development of a demonstrator 1.5 G
• European participation 1/3
• Funding request 40 (mixture of RD and
  demonstration)
• Effort shared on 3 consecutive Framework
  Programmes
• Funding needs 70 M per Framework Programme
• Without such expansion, the European HTR
  technology development programme will loose its
  momentum and the interest of partners