ThorEA - Towards an Alternative Nuclear Future.pdf

Case Study 2: Letter of support from Siemens AG
Nonbinding Letter of Support for the Development of Accelerator Technology for the use in Healthcare
and Nuclear Industries
Siemens AG is a global powerhouse in electrical engineering and electronics. The company has over 400,000 employees
working to develop and manufacture products, design and install complex systems and tailor a wide range of services
to individual requirements. Siemens is an integrated technology company with a clear focus in the sectors Industry,
Energy and Healthcare. Each of these sectors supplies a wide range of product solutions including the design and
manufacture of many particle therapy centres and energy generation systems.
Siemens is interested in the development and exploitation of accelerator technologies for next generation particle
therapy, nuclear processing and energy systems. Looking to the future, in order for accelerators to be more widely
available it is important to make them compact, reliable and financially competitive. Therefore, Siemens has
considerable interest in the proposed ThorEA project which will focus on developing the underpinning technology to
realise accelerator driven subcritical reactor systems, given that the technology cannot be brought to full commercial
application without significant advances in technical development and physical demonstration projects. Specifically,
Siemens’ interest focuses upon the business case, accelerator development, reliability etc. Should the project move
forward we can envisage potential collaboration and engagement in the following areas: business case, linear
accelerator technology, high power pulsed equipment and productionisation.
Therefore, Siemens believes that the combination of its expertise with ThorEA, could lead to successful development
of this technology for the benefit of all parties.
Signed:
On behalf of Siemens AG:
Dr Oliver Heid,
Head of Healthcare Technology & Concepts
3.10 IAEA endorsement of the proposed
ADSR programme
The following message of support for the proposed R&D
programme was received from Alexander Stanculescu, of
the Nuclear Power Technology Development Section of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna:
“During the pioneering years of nuclear energy, from the
mid 1950s to mid 1970s, there was considerable interest
worldwide to develop thorium fuels and fuel cycles, given the
many potential benefits. Indeed, those studies have identified
many incentives for the use of thorium fuel. Thorium resources
are larger than those of uranium, and neutron yields of 233U in
the thermal and epithermal regions are higher than for 239Pu
in the uranium-plutonium fuel cycle. The introduction of the
Thorium-based nuclear fuel cycle would therefore vastly enlarge
the fissile resources by breeding 233U. Large thorium deposits in
some countries, coupled with a lack of uranium deposits in those
countries is another strong incentive for the introduction
of thorium based nuclear fuel cycles.
Other reasons identified in past studies are the potential for
fuel cycle cost reduction, the reduction in 235U enrichment
requirements, safer reactor operation because of lower core
excess reactivity requirements, and safer and more reliable
operation of ThO2 fuel as compared to UO2 fuel at high burnup
due to the former’s higher irradiation and corrosion resistance.
The TMI and Chernobyl accidents, and growing long-lived
radioactive waste issues provided new incentives for the use of
Thorium-based fuel cycles, given their potential for reducing the
production of plutonium and higher actinides, as well as the
possibility for a more effective incineration of plutonium and
long-lived radiotoxic isotopes.
On the other hand, the thorium fuel cycle has some
disadvantages when compared with the uranium fuel cycle,
which were also recognized from the very beginning of thoriumfuel
related activities, more specifically: the thorium-233U fuel
cycle is characterized by a much stronger gamma radiation level
than the uranium-plutonium cycle, and therefore handling
during fabrication requires more care; nuclear reactions by
neutron absorption and decay schemes for Thorium-based fuels
are more complicated; longer water storage time for the spent
fuel is needed due to higher residual heat; potential difficulties
in down stream spent fuel reprocessing.
Against this background, the IAEA is supporting interested
Member States activities in Thorium-based reactor and fuel
cycle technologies. In particular, accelerator technologies
to enable the exploitation of such fuels and fuel cycles in
accelerator driven subcritical reactors are of particular
relevance in this context.
IAEA warmly welcomes the proposed accelerator driver
development programme embodied in the ThorEA project
as a positive contribution to the international effort to
secure the eventual global deployment of sustainable
thorium-fuelled ADSR power generation systems.”
A report prepared by: the thorium energy amplifier association 31