1-11-11 YESS Technical Session 3.1_YESS 2011 T3.1 Ingersoll US DoE
Transcript of 1-11-11 YESS Technical Session 3.1_YESS 2011 T3.1 Ingersoll US DoE
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Small Modulareac ors an eNuclear Renaissance
Daniel IngersollOak Ridge National Laboratory
Young Engineers and ScientistsSymposium 2011J anuary 10-12, 2011
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The first commercial power plants
were small prototypes
Dresden 1
Vallicetos
200 MWe1960
1957
Shippingport
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1957
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Commercial nuclear power plants
escalated rapidly in size during the 70s1400
1000
We)
600
800
lOutput(
U.S. plant construction
400Electric urng e rs nuc ear era
0
200
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Date of Initial Operation
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Small modular reactor (SMR) designs first
emerged in the 1970s and 1980s
Initially motivated by optimism fornuclear power
Later motivated by lessons learned
Main f indings of 1985 Weinberg study:*
-but high risk to the investor
Large reactors are difficult to operate: complex and finicky
Small inherently safe (highly forgiving) designs are possibleif they can be made economically
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*A. M. Weinberg, et al, The Second Nuclear Era, Praeger Publishers, 1985
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Interest in SMRs is reemerging
Enabled by excellent performance of existing fleet oflarge nuclear plants
, ,
financing concerns Key Benefits
Reduced capital cost
Competitive power costs (hopefully)
Smaller incremental ca acit addition to match owerdemand and growth rate
Domestic supply chain
Enhanced safety and robustness from simpli fied designs
Enhanced security from below-grade siting
Adaptable to a broader range of energy needs
More f lexible sit in access water im acts seismic etc.
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Meeting the national GhG reduction
goal will require heroic efforts7000
2005 U.S. CO2Emissions (Tg)
Solution:
1. Pursue all clean ener
Electricity5000
6000
technologies2. Extend nuclear energy tomore energy markets
4000
Transportation
2000
3000
Commercial
Residential1000
GoalIndustrial
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Misc0
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Deliberately small designs share a
common safety philosophy Eliminate potential accident initiators if
possible
EXAMPLE: Integral system to eliminate largepipe loss-of-coolant accident
occurring
EXAMPLE: Lower radiation exposure of reactorvessel reduces likelihood of pressurized thermalshock accident
Miti ate conse uences of otentialaccidents
EXAMPLE: Increased volume of primary coolant-
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Integral Design: Simple and Robust
Loop-type
Primary System
Integral
Primary System
Control
Generator
Pressurizer
Controlressur zer
DrivePump SteamGenerator
RodDrive
CoreCore
Pump
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U.S. LWR-based SMR designs forelectricity generation
Pressurization
Volume
Containment
Vessel
Steam generator
coils
Reactor
Vessel
Reactor coolantpumps
Mechanisms
Steam
Generator
DHRS heat
exchangers
Reactor
Core
Core
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es ng ouse m ower a coc cox
tbd MWe 125 MWe 45 MWe
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Demonstrating the M in SMR is a
key to economic viability
4-Module (500 MWe)
mPower Plant
12-Module 540 MWe
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NuScale Plant
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Gas-cooled reactor designs can providehigh-temperature process heat
MHR General Atomics PBMR Westin house ANTARES Areva
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280 MWe 250 MWe 275 MWe
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Fast spectrum reactor designs canprovide improved fuel cycles
PRISM General Electric TWR TerraPower EM2 General Atomics
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311 MWe TBD MWe 100 MWe
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SMR Challenges Technical
LWR-based designs have some degree of innovation
Integral primary system configuration
Internal control rod drive mechanisms and pumps (some)
Multiplexed control systems
- , . .
Long-lived fuels with more diverse compositions
High-temperature and radiation-resistant materials
Sensors, instrumentation and controls development areimportant for near-term and advanced designs, e.g.
Advance prognostics and diagnostics for remote operations
Control systems for process heat/co-generation plants
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SMR Challenges Institutional
Market competition vs. design standardization
Mindset for large, centralized plants
Fixation on economy-of-scale Concern for nuclear hassle factors
Perceived risk factors for nuclear plants
Traditional focus of regulators on large, LWR plants an ar -m e ra us n e . .
Staffing and security force size
Fear of f irst-of-a-kind
Need to demonstrate new desi ns and new business model
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Bottom Line
SMRs can extend clean andabundant nuclear power to a
demands
Emer in SMR desi ns arebased on decades ofexperience
Several technical andinstitutional challenges mustbe solved and demonstrated
If commercially successful, SMRs would significantly expand the options for
nuclear power and its applications.
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- Steven Chu, Wall Street Journal, 3/23/10