Yacine Kadi Thorium Energy Conference 2013 Globe of Innovation,
CERN, Switzerland October 31, 2013
Slide 2
Concerns on Conventional Nuclear Power Plants Safety Accidents
& Safety Nuclear Proliferation Accumulation of Radioactive
Wastes Depletion of Uranium Resources These problems need to be
solved in order to be able to deploy nuclear power on a large
scale
Slide 3
The path towards sustainability Nuclearwaste 400 800 GWe
Business as usual Open fuel cycle 1200 GWe by 2030 / 7000 GWe by
2050 Accelerated alternative scenario Only made possible by closing
fuel cycle Commercial demos Th-ADS by 2030 International initiative
iThEC
Slide 4
Key objective is to encourage Transmutation of nuclear waste
Thorium power generation Actions : Organising conferences,
addressing political and economic circles, the media and the public
Fostering links between academia and private sector Concrete steps
: September 2012: iThEC founded as a non-profit organisation in
Geneva. October 2013: Organization of ThEC13 Next step: by 2015 set
up an international collaboration on an ADS for Thorium power and
waste transmutation The role of iThEC
Slide 5
Partitioning &Transmutation P/T applies to TRU (Pu and
Minor Actinides) and Long Lived Fission Products. It should be kept
in mind that Plutonium is a special case: it can be considered as a
valuable resource or part of the wastes. However, P/T technologies
must apply to all fuel cycles.
Slide 6
The objectives of GEN-IV include P/T (waste minimization), as
consistent with sustainability and non- proliferation: it is the
path towards Advanced Fuel Cycles. Implementation: currently
related to Fast Reactor deployment. However, ADS is the only option
for Minor Actinide elimination Common Deployment Scenario2020
Implementation of MA partitioning Waste minimization (Vitrified
FP)
Slide 7
Typical transmutation rates (~ 50 kg/TWh) using MA based fuels.
Doping with Pu will sensibly decrease the transmutation efficiency
of such systems MA Transmutation
Slide 8
Alternative Deployment ScenarioADS LWR with reduced waste
generation 232 Th Nuclearwaste 232 Th+ 233 U STAGE 1 STAGE 2
Slide 9
Transmutation Rates
Slide 10
Reactivity Evolution of ThPu fuel
Slide 11
Three Stage Program in India Thorium in Centre Stage
Slide 12
Development is Time-Consuming
Slide 13
Fast track by Integration of Consolidated Technologies by 2030
! Technology of pyrochemical reprocessing of fuel Technologies of
fast reactors with lead- bismuth coolant High power accelerators
technology Liquid metal targets technology
Slide 14
R&D in Europe
Slide 15
Lead or Lead- Bismuth studies Eurotrans using the many loop
facilities existing in Europe Japan, India and China, all have lead
or LBE loops, and are making significant progress in corrosion
issues (new materials, passivation methods, etc.) STELLA Loop CEA
CIRCE Loop ENEA TALL Loop KTH CIRCO Loop CIEMAT CorrWett Loop PSI
VICE Loop SCK-CEN CHEOPE Loop ENEA J-PARC China LBE loop: 550C, 6m
3 /h India (Shinian Fu, IHEP, Bejing
Slide 16
Worldwide Programs ProjectNeutron Source Core Purpose FEAT
(CERN) Proton (0.6 to 2.75 GeV) (~10 10 p/s) Thermal ( 1 W) Reactor
physics of thermal subcritical system (k0.9) with spallation source
- done TARC (CERN) Proton (0.6 to 2.75 GeV) (~10 10 p/s) Fast ( 1
W) Lead slowing down spectrometry and transmutation of LLFP - done
MUSE (France) DT (~10 10 n/s) Fast (< 1 kW) Reactor physics of
fast subcritical system - done YALINA (Belorus) DT (~10 10 n/s)
Fast (< 1 kW) Reactor physics of thermal & fast subcritical
system - done MEGAPIE (Switzerland) Proton (600 Me) + Pb-Bi (1MW)
----- Demonstration of 1MW target for short period - done TRADE
(Italy) Proton (140 MeV) + Ta (40 kW) Thermal (200 kW)
Demonstration of ADS with thermal feedback - cancelled TEF-P
(Japan) Proton (600 MeV) + Pb-Bi (10W, ~10 12 n/s) Fast (< 1 kW)
Coupling of fast subcritical system with spallation source
including MA fuelled configuration - postponed SAD (Russia) Proton
(660 MeV) + Pb-Bi (1 kW) Fast (20 kW) Coupling of fast subcritical
system with spallation source - cancelled TEF-T (Japan) Proton (600
MeV) + Pb-Bi (200 kW) ----- Dedicated facility for demonstration
and accumulation of material data base for long term - postponed
MYRRHA (Belgium) Proton (600 MeV) + Pb-Bi (1.8 MW) Fast (60 MW)
Experimental ADS under design
Slide 17
Th-ADS Demo Parameters Phase 1Phase 2Phase 3 Proton Driver
Power 250 MeV*3 mA = 0.75 MWth 250 MeV*6 mA = 1.5 MWth 900 MeV*6 mA
= 5.4 MWth Gain G0 0.75 2.5 Sub-criticality level, k 0.950.975
Gain=Go/(1-k) 1530100 Thermal Power Output 11.25 MWth45 MWth540
MWth
Slide 18
By 2015, iThEC aims to set up an international collaboration to
build a Thorium ADS In the two years to come, iThEC will identify
material and financial resources and competencies on a world-wide
basis iThEC will invite interested parties to join in this common
undertaking The iThEC Initiative
Slide 19
Concluding remarks Accelerator-driven systems offers a unique
level of safety, which give operational flexibility to future
systems for safe and clean energy production and waste
transmutation Present accelerator technology offers the possibility
of closing the thorium fuel cycle. The Energy Amplifier is one of
the examples with high potential iThEC aims to promote the
deployment of these technologies