Christophe BEHAR Director of the Nuclear Energy Division CEA (Atoms for the Future 2013)

TECHNOLOGICAL

BREAKTHROUGHS AND

ELECTRICITY OF

TOMORROW

OCTOBER 21st, 2013

Atoms for the future 2013 | Christophe Béhar

| PAGE 1 Christophe Béhar | October 21st, 2013

THE ENERGY ISSUES

| PAGE 2

Christophe Béhar | October 21st, 2013

A VERY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF THE WORLD ENERGY NEEDS IN THE NEAR-FUTURE

Whatever the scenario, the world energy needs is set to increase

significantly, mostly driven by non OECD countries development

| PAGE 3

* References : WORLD ENERGY OUTLOOK 2012

* Projection : bouquet énergétique mondial jusqu'en 2050

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Source AIE (2006)

MT

ep

par

an

Charbon Pétrole Gaz Autres énergies renouvelables Nucléaire Hydraulique Coal Oil Gaz Other renewable energy Nuclear Hydraulic

Forecast : world Energy mix up to 2050 *

MT e

p pe

r yea

r

Christophe Béhar | October 21st, 2013 | PAGE 3

THE SITUATION OF EUROPE EUROPA ENERGY POLICY CRITERIA

Energy Policy Criteria

• Lowering CO2 emission

• Lowering Cost

• Decreasing Energy Dependance Rate


LOWERING CO2 EMISSIONS

• Nuclear and Hydraulic Energy are the most efficient as regards to CO2

Emissions

• They will keep the bigger share of low carbon energy in 2035, whatever the

scenario (world energy outlook 2012)


LOWERING COST

Nuclear Energy is set to remain competitive in the long term

| PAGE 6

Rapport Energies 2050


DECREASING ENERGY DEPENDANCE RATE

Herman Van Rompuy

European business Summit/May 2013

The awareness of the Europe Energy Dependency on Europe competitivity is rising among European leaders

by 2035 over 80% of our energy will be imported

| PAGE 7

TRADE BALANCE FOR FRANCE

millions of euros

Fossil fuel imports represents over 95% of France’s trade deficit

in 2012- (69 billions €)


http://www.ewea.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/herman-van-rompuy.jpg

France keeps heading fixed by the European Climate-Energy Package in 2020

Two pillars of the 2020 French energy mix:

Renewable: intermittent supply

Nuclear energy: base-load supply

preserve the use of fossil energies for necessary needs

Nuclear and Renewable :

Reduction by 20% of emissions of greenhouse

gases (compared to 1990)

With a 20% share of renewable energy

in the energy mix

Reduction by 20% of the overall consumption

of primary energy

| 8

TWO PILLARS OF THE ENERGY MIX IN FRANCE IN 2020 RENEWABLE AND NUCLEAR ENERGY


GEN IV SFR : A MAJOR

TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH

| 9


Generation II

Generation III UNGG

CHOOZ LWR 900 LWR 1300 N4 1450 EPR

Flamanville

ASTRID

1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050 2070 2090

Generation I

LWR (2030-2040)

NUCLEAR SYSTEMS

Generation IV ASTRID

DESIGN

OPERATION OF ASTRID

EXPERIENCE

FEEDBACK

Construction &

Operation of Fast Reactors

10 Christophe Béhar | October 21st, 2013

FAST REACTOR AND ASSOCIATED FUEL CYCLE ARE A

KEYSTONE OF SUSTAINABLE NUCLEAR ENERGY

MASTERING PLUTONIUM STOCKPILE IN SPENT FUELS

USING THE TOTAL POTENTIAL ENERGETIC OF NATUREL URANIUM

MINIMISING VOLUME AND RADIOTOXICITY OF NUCLEAR WASTE

FAST REACTOR INDISPENSABLE FOR


1 - Sodium Fast Reactor, the reference option :

[ASTRID, the integrated technology demonstrator]

- maturity, possible further improvments (safety, operability, economics)

- developped with industrial and international partners

2 - Gas-cooled Fast Reactor, a long-term option:

the Allegro project - Contribution of CEA to the V4G4 consortium (Hungary, Poland,

Czech Republic, Slovakia)

- attractive potentialities but heavy challenges…


TWO TYPES OF FNR UNDER STUDIES

DERIVING THE R&D FROM THE FEEDBACK OF

EXPERIENCE 1/2

Feedback of previous SFRs R&D directions ASTRID Orientations

Core Sodium voiding

reactivity

Safety

Optimization of core design to

improve natural behavior

during abnormal transients.

Exploration of heterogeneous

cores

CFV core (Patented in 2010):

innovative approach, very low

or negative overall sodium

voiding reactivity

Better natural behavior of the

core, for instance in case of

loss of flow (e.g. due to loss of

supply power)

Sodium-Water interaction

Safety - Availability

Modular Steam Generators

Inverted Steam Generators

(sodium in tubes)

Gas Power Conversion

System (nitrogen in place of

steam/water)

Limitation of total released

energy in case of sodium-water

interaction

Limitation of wastage

propagation

Design studies conducted by

ALSTOM. No show stopper.


DERIVING THE R&D FROM THE FEEDBACK OF

EXPERIENCE 2/2

Feedback of previous SFRs R&D directions ASTRID Orientations

Sodium fire

Safety

Innovative Sodium leak

detection systems

R&D on Sodium aerosols

Improving detection (Patent of

detection system integrated in

the heat insulator)

Close containment (inert gas +

restriction of available oxygen)

Severe accidents

Safety

Core catcher

Research on corium and

sodium-corium interaction

Core catcher. Several possible

locations (in vessel, ex-vessel or

between the two vessels).

Decay heat removal

Safety

Reactor vessel auxiliary

cooling system (scaling

rules)

Combination of proved Decay

Heat Removal systems and

Vessel Natural Air draft cooling

In-Service Inspection and

Repair

Safety – Availability

Simplification of primary system design

ISI&R taken into account from the design stage

New techniques : Acoustic Detection, Laser, CRDS

Signal processing

Ultrasound at high temperature, High temperature fission

chambers, Optical Fibers, Flow meters for subassembly

Remote handling for inspection or repair

Under-sodium viewing


ASTRID ORIENTATIONS TO REDUCE THE SODIUM WATER RISK

Recall : the first measure of prevention is the presence of the intermediate and no radioactive sodium circuit to separate chemical risk and radiological risk.

2 ways to reduce the SWR risk:

To review the SG design of the steam PCS (Rankine cycle) in order to :

- reduce the risk of SWR occurrence

- limit the consequences of an hypothetical violent reaction

To move to a gas PCS (Brayton cycle with pure nitrogen at 180 bar) in place of steam

cycle to eliminate de facto the SWR risk

Feasibility to be demonstrated. | PAGE 15 Christophe Béhar | October 21st, 2013

• 2 direct reactor cooling systems: • Na/Na in the main vessel

• air as cold source,

• Redondancy : 2 ou 3 trains per system

(2*100% ou 3*50%)

• System n°1 : natural convection

• System n°2 : forced convection

• 1 complémentary system (mitigation) :

• Through the Primary Vessel

Reactor • Cold source to be confirmed (water / air)

DECAY HEAT REMOVAL

Pu stored in MOX Spent

Fuel recycled in MOX

SFR to start the SFRs

deployement

Scenario can be flexible

Both systems can coexist

during a transition phase

FROM LWRs RECYCLING TO FRs RECYCLING

RNR merits as regards to fuel cycle

No front end steps and no enrichment technology

Use depleted U; Use Pu included in MOX Spent Fuel

Multi-recycling of Pu

Possible recycling of Minor Actinides | PAGE 17 Christophe Béhar | October 21st, 2013

FUEL CYCLE FACILITIES FOR ASTRID

ASTRID Fuel Fabrication Facilities AFC Project (# 10 t/y), several scenarios under assessment

SFR closed cycle demonstration (U and Pu multi-recycling):

ATC, a Specific Engineering Scale Facility, or

adaptation of the La Hague Head End (shearing and dissolution)

M.A. transmutation demonstration: Extension of the AFC

RECYCLING

Waste

The ASTRID Fuel Cycle

Assemblies


SEPARATION PROCESSES STUDIED BY THE CEA

| 19

3 separation processes are

studied for the different

transmutation options under

consideration:

SANEX (Selective minor ActiNide

EXtraction) : the aim is to recover

americium and curium after the

conventional reprocessing step

EXAm (Extraction of Americium) : the

aim is to recover americium alone after

conventional reprocessing

GANEX (Group ActiNide Extraction) :

the aim is to recover plutonium

together with all minor actinides


The EXam separation is retained

DIFFERENT TRANSMUTATION ROUTES FOR THE

MINOR ACTINIDES

Several approaches can be considered:

Homogeneous transmutation : recycling of minor

actinides by « dilution » in the fuel of neutron power

reactors

Heterogeneous transmutation : recycling of minor

Actinides in power reactors at higher concentrations in

a limited number of dedicated elements

Transmutation by dedicated systems


The heterogeneous transmutation is now retained

CONCLUSION

The challenge is : to produce a free carbon electricity at reasonable coasts, while ensuring energy independence and security of supplies In this context, nuclear energy is indispensable: it is the only energy able to produce baseload electricity massively and competitively without greenhous gas emissions To preserve these assets, it is essential to keep on innovating


THANK YOU FOR

YOUR ATTENTION

| 22 Christophe Béhar | October 21st, 2013

Technology

Christophe BEHAR Director of the Nuclear Energy Division CEA (Atoms for the Future 2013)