NUCLEAR POWER:

1
NUCLEAR POWER

• SECURE ENERGY
• for the
• 21st CENTURY
• Mike Corradini
• Nuclear Engineering Engineering Physics

Nuclear PowerVillain or Victim M.Carbon, Pebble
Beach Publishers (2002) Decision-Makers Forum
A Unified Strategy for Nuclear Energy (2004)
2
Need for a Unified Energy Strategy

• Internationally
• Population continues to increase worldwide
• Energy usage growing at similar rates (1-2/yr)
• Electrical energy usage increasing faster
  (gt3/yr)
• Nationally
• Abundant secure energy is critical to our
  future
• Continued growing concern of fossil fuel
  emission
• Alternative energy technologies must be
  considered
• Need to ensure energy security with
  bipartisan
• initiatives and executive priority for
  nuclear energy
• EIA (2002)

3
SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES

• Conditions for Sustainability
• Acceptable area usage
• Minimal by-product streams
• Economically feasible technology
• Large supply of the energy resource
• Neither the power source itself nor the
  technology to exploit it can be controlled by a
  few nations/regions (people/countries/regions)

4
Power Plant Land Use Required (km2 / MW) Source
J. Davidson (2000)
Nuclear 0.001/0.01
Coal 0.01/0.04
1000 MW POWER PLANTS RUNNING AT 100 CAPACITY
(8766 GWh/year)
Biomass 5.2
Geothermal 0.003
5
1000 MWe-yr Power Plant Emission

• Coal
  Gas Nuclear
• Sulfur-oxide 1000 mt
• Nitrous-oxide 5000 mt 400 mt
• Particulates 1400 mt
• Trace elements 50 mt lt1 mt
• Ash 1million mt
• CO2 gt 7million mt 3.5mill.
  mt
• TRACE e.g., Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic
• Spent Fuel 20-30 mt
• Fission Products 1-2 mt
• Source EIA (2002)

6
CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS
Construction/Operation/Fuel Preparation
(kg CO
/ kWh)
Source J. Davidson (2000)
2
1.4
/kWh)
1.2
1.04
2
Natural Gas
1
0.8
0.79
Emissions (kg CO
0.58
0.6
Geothermal
Solar-PV
Coal
Nuclear
0.47
0.4
Wind
0.38
Hydro
2
CO
0.2
0.1
0.06
0.025
0.004
0.022
0.025
0
7
Cost of Electricity (Global Average) (/kWh)
Source J. Davidson (2000)
8
Top 10 Nuclear Countries (1999)

• U.S. nuclear electricity generation is
• as large as France and Japan (2
  and 3) combined and
• larger than the other 7 nations in the top 10
  combined

billion kilowatt-hours
Source IAEA
9
Record U.S.Nuclear Electricity Production
(Billions of Kilowatt-hours)
Source EIA
10
Industry Capacity FactorContinues at Record Level
86.8 in 1999 89.6 in 2000 90.7 in 2001 91.7
in 2002
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License RenewalExtends Value
Already filed North Anna 1,2 Surry 1,2 Catawba
1,2 McGuire 1,2 Peach Bottom 2,3 St. Lucie
1,2 Fort Calhoun Robinson 2 Summer Ginna
Approved Calvert Cliffs 1,2 Oconee 1,2,3 Arkansas
Nuclear One Unit 1 Hatch 1,2 Turkey Point 3,4
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Safety of Current Nuclear Plants

• There has not been a loss of life in the US due
  to commercial nuclear plants (TMI released a
  small amount of radiation)
• Chernobyl accident - a terrible accident with a
  bad design
• These plants are now closed or redesigned for
  operation
• Russian nuclear plant operations are being
  assisted by IAEA
• Regional deregulation of the electricity industry
  introduces challenges to continue enhance the
  safety of nuclear plants.
• - Upgrades of power plant equipment and reliable
  replacement schedule
• - Risk-informed decision making by the industry
  should be cost-effective
• US nuclear plants are now self-insured via
  Price-Anderson Act
• and we should renew Price-Anderson legislation
  for long-term

13
Nuclear Power High Level Waste (HLW)

• All nuclear fuel cycle waste (except HLW) has
  been safely and reliably disposed through DoE and
  NRC regulations milling, enrichment, fabrication
  by-products as LLW
• Since 1982, US law defines spent nuclear fuel
  as a HLW, since reprocessing has not occurred
  since 1976 (Japan Europe currently reprocess
  spent nuclear fuel for recycle)
• Spent fuel is currently stored at 105 nuclear
  power plant sites ( 2000 mt/yr total 50,000
  mt) is planned to be stored/buried at one site
  in the US (Yucca Mtn)
• All nuclear electricity is taxed at 1mill/kwhre
  for a HLW fund (0.8 billion/yr total fund
  20 billion)
• Reassert criteria, achieve licensing begin
  operation of Yucca

14
Evolution of Nuclear Power Systems

• Enhanced Safety
• Improved Economics
• Minimized Wastes
• Proliferation Resistance

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Nuclear Energy Defense-in-Depth

• Reliable Operation
• Safety is foremost
• Doing it right

• Credible Regulation
• Risk-based stds.
• Public access

• Improving Engr.
• System Designs
• Instrumentation
• Materials

- New plants (GenIII) require predictable plant
licensing processes - Enhance and reestablish a
vibrant human infrastructure
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Nuclear Safety Enhanced

• Current nuclear power plants have high levels of
  safety i.e., reliable operation, low
  occupational radioactivity dose to workers and
  with minimal risk and health effects from severe
  accidents.
• Future nuclear reactor systems will meet and
  exceed safety performance of current reactors.
• Decay heat removal, minimize transients and allow
  time for operator actions are the keys to
  successful safety performance.
• Advanced LWRs will be simplified, thus more
  economic and continue to minimize emissions
• Deploy advanced light-water reactor systems
  (GenIII)

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Advanced LWR AP-1000
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Advanced LWR ESBWR
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Generation IV Reactor Systems

• Safety must meet and exceed current nuclear
  power plant reliability, occupational radiation
  exposure and risk of accident consequences
• Sustainability minimize waste streams during
  spent fuel disposal or reprocessing and recycle
• Proliferation and Physical Protection of
  facilities
• Economics continue to reduce the total cost of
  electricity (/Mwhr-e) to remain competitive with
  leading technologies (e.g., gas, coal and wind)
• Develop and demo advanced reactors fuel cycles
  (GenerationIV)

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Very-High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR)

• Characteristics
• High temperature coolant
• 900 - 1000C outlet temp.
• 600 MWth
• Water-cracking cycle
• Key Benefit
• High thermal efficiency
• Hydrogen production by water-cracking by
  High-Temp Electrolysis or Thermo-chemical
  decomposition

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Process Heat for Hydrogen Production
200 C
1000 C
Aqueous-phase Carbohydrate Reforming (ACR)
Thermochemical Processes
Hydrogen
Carbon Recycle
H2, CO2
CATALYST
AQUEOUS CARBOHYDRATE
CxHy
LM Condensed Phase Reforming (pyrolysis)
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Hi-Temp. Electrolysis Process
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GAS-COOLED REACTOR
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Nuclear Power Fuel Cycle1000 MWe-yr (A) Once
Thru (B) U-Pu recycle IAEA-1997
U3O8 daughters (A)10 mt (B) 6mt
Mining/Milling
Milling waste stream
(A) 205mt (B)120mt
UF6 daughters (A) 167mt(B) 0.5mt
Convert/Enrichment
Conv/Enrich Waste Tails
(A) 37mt (B)11.5mt
UO2 daughters (A) 0.2mt (B) 0.16mt
Fuel Fabrication
Fuel Fabrication Waste
(A) 36.8mt (B) 36.4mt (U-Pu)
Reactor (1000MWe)
Spent Fuel as Waste
(A) 35.7 mt U, 0.32mt Pu
(B) 36mt U, 0.5mt Pu
Reprocessing Plant
Reprocessing Waste (FP)
(B) 1.1 mt U, 5kg Pu
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Liquid-Metal Cooled Fast Reactor (LFR)

• Characteristics
• Na, Pb or Pb/Bi coolant
• 550C to 800C outlet temperature
• 120400 MWe
• Key Benefit
• Waste minimization and efficient use of uranium
  resources

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To Advance the Use of Nuclear Energy

• Ensure energy security with bipartisan
  initiatives and an
• executive branch priority on nuclear energy
• Enact long-term Price-Anderson legislation
• Demonstrate predictable nuclear plant licensing
  processes
• Reassert criteria, achieve licensing begin
  operation of
• Yucca Mountain Repository
• Deploy current light-water reactors in the U.S.
  (Gen-III)
• Develop/demonstrate advanced reactors fuel
  cycles (GenIV)
• Reestablish a vibrant educational infrastructure
• gtBuild public confidence and support for
  nuclear energy