gif-tru2014

TechnologyRoadmapUpdateforGenerationIVNuclearEnergySystemsPreparingTodayforTomorrow’sEnergyNeedsIssuedbytheOECDNuclearEnergyAgencyfortheGenerationIVInternationalForumJanuary2014www.gen-4.orgThisTechnologyRoadmapUpdateprovidesanassessmentofprogressmadebytheGenerationIVInternationalForum(GIF)inthedevelopmentofthesixsystemsselectedwhentheoriginalTechnologyRoadmapwaspublishedin2002.Moreimportantly,itprovidesanoverviewofthemajorR&Dobjectivesandmilestonesforthecomingdecade,aimingtoachievetheGenerationIVgoalsofsustainability,safetyandreliability,economiccompetitiveness,proliferationresistanceandphysicalprotection.LessonslearntfromtheFukushimaDaiichinuclearpowerplantaccidentaretakenintoaccounttoensurethatGenerationIVsystemsattainthehighestlevelsofsafety,withthedevelopmentofspecificsafetydesigncriteriathatareapplicableacrossthesixsystems.Accomplishingtheten-yearR&DobjectivessetoutinthisnewroadmapshouldallowthemoreadvancedGenerationIVsystemstomovetowardsthedemonstrationphase.TechnologyRoadmapUpdateforGenerationIVNuclearEnergySystemsJanuary2014IssuedbytheOECDNuclearEnergyAgencyfortheGenerationIVInternationalForumDISCLAIMERThispublicationwaspreparedbytheNuclearEnergyAgency(NEA)oftheOrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD)onbehalfoftheGenerationIVInternationalForum(GIF).TheopinionsexpressedandargumentsemployedhereindonotnecessarilyreflecttheofficialviewsoftheOECD/NEAorthegovernmentsornationalgovernmentalagenciesofitsmembersorofthemembersofGIF.TheOECD/NEAorthegovernmentsornationalgovernmentalagenciesofitsmembersorthoseofGIF,oranypersonactingontheirbehalf,makenostatements,representationsorwarrantiesabouttheaccuracy,completenessorreliabilityofanyinformationcontainedinthispublication,andnonemaybeheldresponsibleforanyusethatmaybemadeoftheinformationcontainedherein.FOREWORDTECHNOLOGYROADMAPUPDATEFORGENERATIONIVNUCLEARENERGYSYSTEMS–JANUARY20143ForewordThefirstdecadeoftheGenerationIVInternationalForum(GIF)hasbeenmarkedbyopposingtrendswith,ontheonehand,aworldwiderenewedinterestinnuclearenergyasanelementofthesolutiontoglobalwarmingandasameansofdeliveringpowertobothemerginganddevelopedcountries;and,ontheotherhand,byhesitationsaboutthefutureofnucleardevelopmentintheaftermathoftheFukushimaDaiichinuclearpowerplantaccident.Giventhechangingcircumstancesaftertenyearsofcollaborativework,theGIFPolicyGroupdecidedtoupdatetheoriginal2002TechnologyRoadmap.ThemainobjectiveofthisupdateistofocusonthemostrelevantdevelopmentsofthesixGENIVsystemsoriginallyselected(nonewsystemhasbeenconsidered)andprovide,totheextentpossible,arealistichigh-leveltechnicalprogressreport.Thegoalofthisreportistoassessthecurrenttechnologystatusofeachsystem,usingthegeneralclassificationofviability,performance,demonstrationorcommercialisationphases,andtoidentifythekeyremainingR&DchallengesaswellaswaysofovercomingthemthroughtheGIFinternationalcollaborationframework.Foreachnuclearsystem,theroadmapoutlinestheaccomplishmentstodate,presentsthecurrentstatusofeachsysteminternationally,andprovidesthemainR&Dobjectivesalongwiththemilestonesanticipatedinthenextdecade.Developingthetechnologiesandassociatedsystemdesignstothepointofcommercialisationforeachofthesixsystemsidentifiedintheoriginalroadmapwouldhaverequiredamulti-year,multi-billiondollarinternationalcommitment.Thiswasnotthecaseand,asaresult,thedegreeoftechnicalprogressofthedifferentsystemsoverthepastdecadeisnotuniform,havingdependedtoalargeextentonnationalprioritiesandeffortswithinGIFmembercountries.Anumberoftheparticipatingcountriesinvestedsignificantresourcesinthedevelopmentofthesodium-cooledfastreactor(SFR)andvery-high-temperaturereactor(VHTR),inlargepartduetotheconsiderablehistoricaleffortassociatedwiththesetechnologies.Morelimitedresourceswereinvestedintheremainingfourconcepts(supercritical-water-cooledreactor[SCWR],lead-cooledfastreactor[LFR],gas-cooledfastreactor[GFR]andmoltensaltreactor[MSR]).Suchasituationshouldnotbeinterpretedasatechnicalassessmentofthedesirabilityofanygivenconceptoveranotherorasadown-selectionamongtheconcepts.Eachofthesixconceptsstillretainsthenecessarycharacteristics(economics,safetyandreliability,proliferationresistance,physicalprotectionandsustainability)tobeconsideredaGenerationIVsystem.Iwouldliketothankthemembersoftheteamthatworkedonthisdocument:DavidPetti,WenquanShen,AlexanderTuzovandMartinZimmermann,aswellasAlexeyLokhovandJean-ClaudeBouchter,whoprovidedtechnicalsecretariatsupporttotheactivity.Iwouldalsoliketothanktheexpertgroupmembersandthesystemsteeringcommitteesandworkinggroupchairsfortheiressentialcontributions,aswellasthePolicyGroupmembersfortheirgeneralremarksandguidance.ChristopheBeharGIFVice-ChairTABLEOFCONTENTSTECHNOLOGYROADMAPUPDATEFORGENERATIONIVNUCLEARENERGYSYSTEMS–JANUARY20145TableofcontentsExecutivesummary........................................................................................................................7Chapter1.Introduction...............................................................................................................13GenerationIVInternationalForum.......................................................................................13GenerationIVgoals..................................................................................................................14Sustainability................................................................................................................................14Safetyandreliability.....................................................................................................................14Economics.....................................................................................................................................15Proliferationresistanceandphysicalprotection...........................................................................15TheTechnologyRoadmap.......................................................................................................15The2002Roadmap.......................................................................................................................15Objectivesofthetechnologyroadmapupdate..............................................................................17LessonslearntfromtheFukushimaDaiichiaccidentrelevanttotheworkofGIF.......................17Chapter2.Ten-yearobjectivesforthemostpromisingsystems.......................................19Gas-cooledfastreactor(GFR)...................................................................................................19Majoraccomplishmentsinthelastdecade...................................................................................20R&Dobjectives..............................................................................................................................20Milestones.....................................................................................................................................22Lead-cooledfastreactor(LFR).................................................................................................22Majoraccomplishmentsinthelastdecade...................................................................................25R&Dobjectives..............................................................................................................................26Milestones.....................................................................................................................................27Moltensaltreactor(MSR).........................................................................................................28Majoraccomplishmentsinthelastdecade...................................................................................29R&Dobjectives..............................................................................................................................31Milestones.....................................................................................................................................32Sodium-cooledfastreactor(SFR)...........................................................................................33Majoraccomplishmentsinthelastdecade...................................................................................36R&Dobjectives..............................................................................................................................36Milestones.....................................................................................................................................39Supercritical-water-cooledreactor(SCWR)..........................................................................40Majoraccomplishmentsinthelastdecade...................................................................................42R&Dobjectives..............................................................................................................................44Milestones.....................................................................................................................................45Very-high-temperaturereactor(VHTR).................................................................................45Majoraccomplishmentsinthelastdecade...................................................................................46R&Dobjectives..............................................................................................................................48Milestones.....................................................................................................................................51TABLEOFCONTENTS6TECHNOLOGYROADMAPUPDATEFORGENERATIONIVNUCLEARENERGYSYSTEMS–JANUARY2014Chapter3.Ten-yearobjectivesformethodologyworkinggroups......................................53EconomicModelingWorkingGroup(EMWG)......................................................................53EMWGaccomplishments..............................................................................................................53Currentactivities..........................................................................................................................54Futureefforts................................................................................................................................54ProliferationResistanceandPhysicalProtectionWorkingGroup(PRPPWG)................55GIFTechnologyRoadmap(2002)..................................................................................................55PRPPWGaccomplishments...........................................................................................................56Currentsituationassessment.......................................................................................................57FuturePRPPWGactivities.............................................................................................................57RiskandSafetyWorkingGroup(RSWG)..............................................................................58Pastaccomplishments...................................................................................................................58Currentactivitiesandnear-termfutureefforts............................................................................60Futureefforts................................................................................................................................60Listofabbreviationsandacronyms..........................................................................................62EXECUTIVESUMMARYTECHNOLOGYROADMAPUPDATEFORGENERATIONIVNUCLEARENERGYSYSTEMS–JANUARY20147ExecutivesummaryNuclearpowerplants,whichproducelow-carbonelectricityatstableandcompetitivecosts,constituteanelementofthesolutiontoglobalwarmingandameansofdeliveringpowertoemerginganddevelopedcountries.Furtherdevelopmentofnucleartechnologyisneededtomeetfutureenergydemand.TheGenerationIVInternationalForum(GIF)wascreatedinJanuary2000by9countries,andtodayhas13members,1allofwhicharesignatoriesofthefoundingdocument,theGIFCharter.2GIFdefinedinitsTechnologyRoadmap3fourgoalareastoadvancenuclearenergyintoitsnext,“fourth”generation(seeFigureES.1):•sustainability;•safetyandreliability;•economiccompetitiveness;•proliferationresistanceandphysicalprotection.FigureES.1:Generationsofnuclearpower:TimerangescorrespondtothedesignandthefirstdeploymentsofdifferentgenerationsofreactorsTheTechnologyRoadmapalsodefinedandplannedthenecessaryR&DtoachievethesegoalsandallowforthedeploymentofGenerationIVenergysystemsafter2030.GenerationIVnuclearenergysystemsincludethenuclearreactoranditsenergyconversionsystems,aswellasthenecessaryfuelcycletechnologies.1.Argentina,Brazil,Canada,China,Euratom,France,Japan,theRepublicofKorea,theRussianFederation,SouthAfrica,Switzerland,theUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStates.2.TheCharterwasofficiallyestablishedinJuly2001.3.Thefullreport,ATechnologyRoadmapforGenerationIVNuclearEnergySystems,GIF-002-00,2002isavailableat:www.gen-4.org.EXECUTIVESUMMARY8TECHNOLOGYROADMAPUPDATEFORGENERATIONIVNUCLEARENERGYSYSTEMS–JANUARY2014Closingofthenuclearfuelcycleisanimportantcomponentforachievingthesustainabilitygoal.Itisbasedonthereprocessingandpartitioningofspentnuclearfuelandthemanagementofeachfractionwiththebestpossiblestrategy.Fissilematerial,forexample,canberecoveredfromthespentfuelandusedtomakenewfuel.Atpresent,almost95%ofthespentfuelfromlightwaterreactorscanbereusedintheformofreprocesseduraniumandMOXfuel.Withadvancedfuelcyclesusingfast-spectrumreactorsandextensiverecycling,itmaybepossibletobreedfissilefuelfromfertilematerial,andthusproduceequalormorefissilematerialthanthereactorconsumes.Thiswouldalsosignificantlyreducethefootprintofdeepgeologicalrepositoriesforthedisposalofultimatewaste.TheadvancedseparationtechnologiesforGenerationIVsystemsarebeingdesignedtoavoidtheseparationofsensitivematerials,andtheyincludeotherfeaturestoenhanceproliferationresistanceandincorporateeffectivesafeguards.TheTechnologyRoadmapestablishedanunderstandingoftheabilityofvariousreactorstobecombinedinso-calledsymbioticfuelcycles,forexample,throughcombinationsofthermalreactorsandfastreactorstoaccommodatetransitionperiods.ThiswasoneoftheprimarymotivationsforhavingaportfolioofGenerationIVsystemsratherthanasinglesystemintheoriginalTechnologyRoadmap,sincevariouscombinationsofafewsystemsintheportfoliowouldprovideasymbioticsystemworldwide.In2002,GIFselectedsixsystemsfromnearly100conceptsasGenerationIVtechnologies:•gas-cooledfastreactor(GFR);•lead-cooledfastreactor(LFR);•moltensaltreactor(MSR);•sodium-cooledfastreactor(SFR);•supercritical-water-cooledreactor(SCWR);•very-high-temperaturereactor(VHTR).TheTechnologyRoadmapUpdatehasconfirmedthechoiceofthesesixsystems.Timelinesandresearchneedsweredevelopedforeachsystem,categorisedinthreesuccessivephases:•theviabilityphase,whenbasicconceptsaretestedunderrelevantconditionsandallpotentialtechnicalshow-stoppersareidentifiedandresolved;•theperformancephase,whenengineering-scaleprocesses,phenomenaandmaterialscapabilitiesareverifiedandoptimisedunderprototypicalconditions;•thedemonstrationphase,whendetaileddesigniscompletedandlicensing,constructionandoperationofthesystemarecarriedout,withtheaimofbringingittothecommercialdeploymentstage.ThemainobjectiveofthisTechnologyRoadmapUpdateistofocusonthemostrelevantdevelopmentsofthesixGenerationIVsystemsselected,providingahigh-levelreportthatsummarisestheachievementsofthepasttenyearsanddefinesR&Dgoalsforthenextdecade.TheoriginalandupdatedtimelinesforeachGIFsystemaresummarisedinFigureES.2,andthemainmilestonesforeachsystemandmethodologyworkinggroupareprovidedinTableES.1.Thedevelopmentoftechnologiesandassociatedsystemdesignstothepointofcommercialisationforeachofthesixsystems,asidentifiedintheoriginalTechnologyRoadmap,wouldhaverequiredconsiderableinvestmentandinternationalcommitment.Sincethe“startingpoint”andR&DfundingofthedifferentGenerationIVsystemswerenotequivalent,thedegreeoftechnicalprogressoverthepastdecadehasnotbeenuniformforallsystems.AnumberofparticipatingcountriesdevotedsignificantresourcestothedevelopmentoftheSFRandVHTR,forexample,inlargepartduetotheconsiderablehistoricaleffortassociatedwiththesetechnologies.Morelimitedresourceswerededicatedtotheothersystems.EXECUTIVESUMMARYTECHNOLOGYROADMAPUPDATEFORGENERATIONIVNUCLEARENERGYSYSTEMS–JANUARY20149FigureES.2:Systemdevelopmenttimelinesasdefinedintheoriginal2002Roadmap(left)andinthe2013update4TheFukushimaDaiichinuclearpowerplantaccidenthasemphasisedtheimportanceofdesigningnuclearsystemswiththehighestlevelsofsafety.Lessonslearntfromtheaccidentwillbenefitthecurrentoperatingfleet,aswellasfuturenuclearsystems,includingGenerationIVsystems.Theaccidentdemonstratedinparticulartheneedforreliableresidualheatremovaloverlongperiodsaswellasthenecessitytoexcludesignificantoff-sitereleasesincaseofasevereaccident.FortheGenerationIVsystems,anadditionalsetofquestionshastobeanalysedindetailandcomparedtotheworkonadvancedlightwaterreactors.Theserelate,inparticular,to:•theuseofnon-watercoolantsinmostGenerationIVdesigns;•higheroperationaltemperatures;•higherreactorpowerdensity;•insomecases,thecloselocationorintegrationoffuel-cycleorchemicalfacilities.Inthecomingyears,GIFwillworkondemonstratingthecapabilityofGenerationIVsystemstoachievethehighestlevelofsafety,takingintoaccountthelessonslearntfromtheFukushimaDaiichiaccident.4.Thesetimelinesareindicativeandmaychange,forexample,ifstructuralmaterials,fuelorotherimportantcomponentsarenotvalidatedattheplanneddates.200020052010201520202025GFRLFRMSRSCWRSFRVHTRGIFroadmap2002ViabilityPerformanceDemonstration2000200520102015202020252030GFRLFRMSRSCWRSFRVHTRGIFroadmap2013ViabilityPerformanceDemonstrationEXECUTIVESUMMARY10TECHNOLOGYROADMAPUPDATEFORGENERATIONIVNUCLEARENERGYSYSTEMS–JANUARY2014TableES.1:Keyobjectivesforthenext10yearsGIFSYSTEMGFR•Referenceconceptof2400MWthreactorcapableofbreakevenbreeding.•Improvingthedesignforthesafemanagementofloss-of-coolantaccidentsincludingdepressurisation,andarobustremovalofdecayheatwithoutexternalpowersupply.•Advancingsuitablenuclearfueltechnologieswithout-of-pileandirradiationexperiments.•Buildingexperimentalfacilitiesforqualifyingthemaincomponentsandsystems.•Designstudiesforasmallexperimentalreactor(e.g.ALLEGRO).LFR•Prototypesexpectedafter2020:Pb-Bi-cooledSVBR-100,BREST-300inRussia.•Proceedingwithdetaileddesignandlicensingactivities.•Preliminaryanalysesofaccidentaltransientsincludingearthquakesandin-vesselsteamgeneratorpiperuptures.•MainR&Deffortswillbeconcentratedon:−materialscorrosionanddevelopmentofaleadchemistrymanagementsystem;−coreinstrumentation;−fuelhandlingtechnologyandoperation;−advancedmodellingandsimulation;−fueldevelopment(MOXforfirstcore,thenMA-bearingfuels);andpossiblynitridefuelforlead-cooledreactors(BREST);−actinidemanagement(fuelreprocessingandmanufacturing).−ISI&R(techniquesforopaquemedium,seismicimpact).MSR•Abaselineconcept:themoltensaltfastreactor(MSFR).•Commonalitieswithothersystemsusingmoltensalts(FHR,heattransfersystems).•FurtherR&Donliquidsaltphysicalchemistryandtechnology,especiallyoncorrosion,safety-relatedissuesandtreatmentofusedsalt.SFR•Threebaselineconcepts(pool,loopandmodularconfigurations).•Severalsodium-cooledreactorsoperationalorunderconstruction(e.g.inChina,India,JapanandRussia).•DevelopadvancednationalSFRdemonstratorsfornear-termdeployment(France,JapanandRussia);proceedwithrespectivenationalprojectsinChina,KoreaandIndia.•Inthecomingyears,themainR&Deffortswillbeconcentratedon:−safetyandoperation(improvingcoreinherentsafetyandI&C,preventionandmitigationofsodiumfires,preventionandmitigationofsevereaccidentswithlargeenergyreleases,ultimateheatsink,ISI&R);−consolidationofcommonsafetydesigncriteria;−advancedfueldevelopment(advancedreactorfuels,MA-bearingfuels);&minu