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atw Vol. 62 (2017) | Issue 8/9 ı August/September 510 INSIDE NUCLEAR WITH NUCNET What is the Future for Fast Reactor Technology? NucNet As a major fast reactor conference opened in Yekaterinburg, Russia, NucNet spoke to Vladimir Kriventsev, team leader for fast reactor technology development at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), about the possibilities and challenges of technology development in the fast reactor sector. NucNet: The history of fast-neutron reactors goes back a couple of decades. Can you give us a general update on the present situation around fast reactor technology globally? Vladimir Kriventsev: The history of fast reactors goes back to the beginnings of nuclear power. The first reactor to generate electricity, the EBR-I in Idaho, was a sodium- cooled fast reactor (SFR). In 1951, it made history by generating the first electricity from nuclear power. Its power was just 1 kW – enough to light up the reactor building. Today, the field of fast reactors is vibrant and full of fascinating developments, some which will have an impact in the nearer term and others in the longer term. The most mature fast reactor technology remains the SFR, which has more than 400 reactor years of experience via the design, construction and operation of experimental, prototype, demonstration and commercial units in countries including China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US. Early SFR prototypes, operating now, include BN-600 in Russia, India’s 40-MW(t) Fast Breeder Test Reactor and a Chinese Experimental Test Reactor, CEFR, that began operation in 2011. Then there are the evolutionary SFRs, or Generation III+ units, including Russia’s new BN-800, which was commissioned last year and the 500-MW(e) prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) that is expected to start operating later this year in India. BN-800 is the only fast reactor currently offered commercially. Generation IV, or innovative, reactors are also under development in countries including France (with the support of Japan), a 600-MW(e) reactor in South Korea, and the BN-1200 in Russia. Demonstrator reactors cooled by lead or lead-bismuth eutectic (LFRs) are being developed in the European Union, Russia, and in Canada | | View of the reactor pressure vessel head installations of the fast breeder reactor BN-800 in Russia (Courtesy: Rosatom) in cooperation with Sweden. Finally, a lot of work is being done on gas-cooled fast reactors, which could present key advantages, but at this stage they’re still at the conceptual level. NucNet: What are the main benefits of fast reactor technology? Vladimir Kriventsev: Fast-neutron systems, operated in a fully closed fuel cycle, have the potential to greatly improve the sustainability of nuclear power. These systems can extract 60 to 70 times more energy from natural uranium than existing thermal reactors; fast reactors also can contribute to reducing the plutonium stockpile as well as minimising the heat load, volume, and required isolation time for high-level radioactive waste. Fast reactors also have higher efficiency and are very flexible; they can be designed as “breeders”, “burners” or “general purpose”. Breeders produce more fuel than they consume. Burners are specifically designed to minimise generated waste, dramatically reducing the requirements for geological repositories. In both cases, to be effective, a closed fuel cycle is required, including fuel reprocessing. General- purpose fast reactors take advantage of higher fuel burn-up, a longer fuel cycle, and higher coolant temperatures. Most future innovative advanced reactors are fast-neutron systems. NucNet: Russia has the only fast-neutron power reactors (BN-600 and BN-800) in commercial operation. Is there a sound economic rationale behind the commercial use of fast reactors? How do construction, operation, and maintenance costs compare to those for conventional reactors? Vladimir Kriventsev: Both BN-600 and BN-800 (as well as their predecessors, the BOR-60 and BN-350 in Russia, the Phénix and Super Phénix in France, and Monju in Japan) are prototypes. Even though they generate electricity in commercial operation, the main goal is to demonstrate and develop the technology and test technical solutions. As for the economics, the main challenge for fast reactors is the capital costs, which are currently higher than the projected costs of evolutionary reactors. Of course, fast reactors will become more economically competitive once the technology matures, but their competitiveness will also depend on the price of uranium. If and when uranium becomes more expensive and less available, then fast reactors will become more competitive vis-a-vis other reactor types. NucNet: Could you tell us more about the design plans for future fast reactors like BN-1200 in Russia and Astrid in France? Are they bringing developments in terms of technology? Vladimir Kriventsev: Let’s also mention the 1,500-MW(e) JSFR reactor being developed by Japan, and South Korea’s broad R&D programme in support of its 600 MW(e) SFR. As for BN-1200 and the 600 MW(e) SFR prototype called Astrid that France is developing, both are Generation-IV Inside Nuclear with NucNet What is the Future for Fast Reactor Technology? ı NucNet
atw Vol. 62 (2017) | Issue 8/9 ı August/September reactors, supported by the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). Their main novelty is their passive safety systems and other design features that will make them safer and more economical. All these industrial prototypes are under conceptual design and their construction is expected to get under way in the next decade or so. NucNet: The cooling element in fast reactors remains a major challenge for design and construction in terms of costs and practicability, with discussions about whether the cooling element should be sodium, lead, liquid salt or helium gas. Has any significant progress been made in this respect? Vladimir Kriventsev: All the coolants you mentioned, plus lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE), are candidates for advanced reactors. While SFRs are the most mature fast reactor technology, one issue with sodium is its reaction with air and water. Since lead and lead-bismuth don’t react with air and water, LFR designs can be greatly simplified (with no intermediate circuit) and thus have the potential to significantly reduce capital costs. However, their major drawback is the corrosion of structural materials in contact with the coolant. Russia, which has some experience with LBE-cooled reactors for submarines, is now designing the Brest-300, a 300-MW(e) lead-cooled fast reactor prototype that should be followed by the commercial Brest-1200. With LBE, Russia is designing the SVBR-100, a 100-MW(e) reactor. Belgium is designing a 100-MW(t) fast-spectrum LBE-cooled subcritical irradiation facility, called Myrrha. And the European Union is developing Alfred, a 100-MW(e) LFR demonstrator. Sweden and Canada are developing Sealer (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor) to be deployed in the Canadian Arctic. NucNet: Is it realistic to expect that fast reactors may become a mainstream technology employed in the world’s reactor fleets? Vladimir Kriventsev: If nuclear power continues to develop as projected and remain an important part of the world’s energy mix, then sooner or later natural uranium resources are likely to grow scarcer. In such a scenario, fast reactors will be needed to ensure the sustainability of nuclear power. NucNet: How is the IAEA involved in supporting fast reactor development worldwide? Does this scientific endeavour attract enough attention and funding from member states? Vladimir Kriventsev: The IAEA supports its member states by providing information, advice, technological support and education. The activities of the IAEA’s fast reactor technology development team include: coordinating research projects on modelling and simulation; gathering information and publishing reports, handbooks and other documents on fast reactor technology; and exchanging and integrating information on fast reactor safety, such as a recently prepared document on passive shutdown systems for fast neutron reactors. We also manage live databases including a fast reactor knowledge-preservation portal, the Advanced Reactor Information System (Aris), the Liquid Metal Fast Neutron Systems (LMFNS) facilities database, and others. We are very engaged in education and training; we operate a number of reactor simulators where users can observe the basic physical principles of the reactor technology. An SFR simulator for use in operations education is under development. NucNet: What are your expectations for the IAEA’s FR17 conference (International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles) in Yekaterinburg? What will be new this year? Vladimir Kriventsev: The conference, hosted by Russia’s state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom, is the third such IAEA conference after previous editions in Kyoto in 2009 and Paris in 2013. What will be different this year? We expect more participants – almost 700 from more than 30 countries, plus six international organisations. There will be new discussions on advanced reactors designs as well as the benefits and drawbacks of different coolants and design features. These talks will be intensive at times; the scientists taking part come from different countries, but many of them know each other from decades of working in the same field. There will be a panel discussion on safety design guidelines and criteria for SFRs where the Generation IV International Forum and others will try to present their point of view and recent achievements. Another interesting panel will be on fast-neutron small and medium sized reactors (SMRs). Finally, we will have a Young Generation Event, where young scientists will present their studies and visions on how to advance fast reactor technology. A technical tour will be offered to the BN-600 and BN-800 at the nearby Beloyarsk nuclear power station. Vladimir Kriventsev is also scientific secretary of the IAEA’s International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Next Generation Nuclear Systems for Sustainable Development (FR17), which took place in Yekaterinburg, Russia, from 26-29 June 2017. Author NucNet The Independent Global Nuclear News Agency Editor responsible for this story: Kamen Kraev Avenue des Arts 56 1000 Brussels, Belgium www.nucnet.org | | View of the BN-800 fast breeder reactor site in Russia (Courtesy: Rosatom) INSIDE NUCLEAR WITH NUCNET 511 Inside Nuclear with NucNet What is the Future for Fast Reactor Technology? ı NucNet
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