CANDU Fuel Options: Practical Adaptability Jerry Hopwood Vice President, Marketing & Product Development World Nuclear Association, Annual Symposium September

CANDU Fuel Options:Practical Adaptability

Jerry HopwoodVice President, Marketing & Product Development

World Nuclear Association, Annual SymposiumSeptember 2013

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Candu Energy Progress Report

• Established in 2011 to acquire commercial reactor business of AECL

• Holds exclusive right to all aspects of CANDU technology; continues

– CANDU-related business in Canada and internationally

– 60 years of CANDU development

• A wholly owned subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin

• Two years in, Candu Energy off and running—a growing business

Unrestricted | Illimité

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Candu Energy’s Perspective on Global Market

• Nuclear option still regarded as essential component of future clean energy needs

• Non-nuclear option: not so “green”, or economical

• Approach to nuclear development depends on local circumstances

– Economics– Project models and financing– National growth– Fukushima aftermath– Government support

• Candu Energy is committed to long-term nuclear business


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Candu Energy’s Perspective on Fuel Cycles

• Successful nuclear power future will drive fuel cycle adaptations. Drivers include:

– Economics

– Resource utilization

– Waste management

• Challenges of establishing fuel recycling

– High cost of lessons learned

– Economic benefit of waste management uncertain


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Benefits from Alternate Fuel Cycles

• Energy independence for countries with nuclear programs

– Use domestic resources that are more abundant and available than natural uranium (NU)

• Reduced spent fuel volume, for example:

– 90,000 tonnes of recycled uranium (RU) produced to date

– RU production 4,000 tonnes/year, expected to increase to 6,000 tonnes/year

– CANDU use of RU-based fuel is a simple use for this byproduct

• Address non-proliferation issues

– CANMOX option is a proven solution for plutonium disposition


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Advancing Fuel Cycle Options

• Success will start in niche areas

• CANDU technology ideally placed:

– Simple fuel bundle

– Efficient fuel utilization

– Adaptable core through on-power refuelling


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Evolution of Fuel Cycles

• Factors driving research include:

– Expand limits of fuel utilization

– Deployment of different, more abundant elements

– Increase fuel flexibility

– Employment of recycled fuels

– Decrease environmental impact

– Develop proliferation resistant fuel and fuel cycles

Candu Energy and AECL have extensively studied alternate fuel sources in CANDU-type reactors.


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Candu Energy’s Work on Fuel Cycle Options

• Recycled uranium (RU)– RU-based fuel qualified and demonstrated in

CANDU reactor– Full RU-based core now being manufactured

for Qinshan units

• Material disposal (MOX fuels)– CANMOX option is simple design adaptation

of Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6) to apply to UK plutonium disposition

• Future fuel cycles– Thorium based fuels demonstrated through

R&D and design– Reactor changes minimal– Advanced Fuel CANDU Reactor (AFCR)


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CANDU Fuel Cycle Flexibility


Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6)

Strengths

Only proven medium sized reactor

More efficient user of uranium than LWRs

Unique fuel cycle capabilities

Cobalt-60 production

High performer – 92% target Capacity Factor

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Overview

• 740 MW(e) classic CANDU reactor

• Natural uranium (NU) fuel

• Heavy water coolant and moderator

• Fuel channel core

• On-power refuelling


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Candu Energy’s Innovation Package


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Fuel Cycle Practicality -- Can it be Done?

• Yes, provided we meet the challenges of innovating complex technologies. We can benefit from:

– Advancements in technology

– Decades of experience

– Lessons learned from past difficulties in building and running earlier industrial fuel recycling facilities

• Today’s economics must be addressed:

– Once-through fuelling a commercially successful benchmark

– CANDU reactor natural uranium (NU) fuel cycle—outstanding economics

– Perceived risks in pursuing recycled or alternate fuels

– Uncertain economics of fuel waste disposal

Can we implement economical, reliable alternate fuels?


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• Challenge – economical alternate/recycled fuel material

– CANDU reactor core is efficient and versatile; can use readily available materials

• Challenge – costs and first of a kind risks of fuel manufacturing

– CANDU fuel very simple, small scale fuel bundle

– Once pellets prepared, fuel manufacturing follows natural uranium process

• Challenge – tolerances for blended fuels

– Natural uranium equivalent (NUE) fuel for Qinshan

– Now in industrial manufacturing

With CANDU technology, we can meet the challenges.


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• Challenge – adapting reactor design for alternate fuels

– Numerous engineering projects and fuel demonstrations in the CANDU reactors have shown that existing CANDU reactors are readily adaptable to alternate fuels

– On-power refuelling and adaptable fuel design mean core can be tailored by operation

• Challenge – qualification and licensing of alternate fuel applications

– Extensive existing test programs at AECL and elsewhere provide qualification basis

– Fuel designs routinely assessed within existing CANDU reactor licensing envelope


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CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable

• EC6 reactor is safe, proven and economically competitive, adaptable for a range of fuels

• EC6 can be readily adapted to run using various fuel types

• CANDU fuel is mission-flexible, easily fabricated and low cost


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CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable

• Uses proven EC6 design

• All elements of CANMOX fuel proven

• Fuel manufacturing straightforward

• Highly efficient plutonium disposition

Current example: CANMOX approach to plutonium disposition.


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What Next?

• Continue recycled uranium and thorium initiatives with China

• Work to firm up understanding of UK plutonium mission

• Build broader economic case for recycling spent fuel

• Build more CANDU reactors!


Thank You

Documents

CANDU Fuel Options: Practical Adaptability Jerry Hopwood Vice President, Marketing & Product Development World Nuclear Association, Annual Symposium September