Liquid-Fluoride Thorium Reactor Development Strategy

Kirk SorensenFlibe Energy

Thorium Energy Conference 2013October 28, 2013

Impending Coal-Fired Plant Retirements

Large numbers of coal-fired power plants are also facing retirement, particularly in the Ohio River Valley

and in the Carolinas.

EPA regulations are helping drive coal retirement

The implementation of these regulations makes smaller, older coal plants inefficient and uneconomical, resulting in the loss of over 27GW. The loss of power places an urgency on utilities to plan for new, clean power solutions ahead of 2017. The window to plan for new clean generation sources fi ts perfectly with SMR development and offers a market opportunity of over $30bn for coal replacement alone.

“Renewable” options are limited in these regions

New reactors are under construction in the US and across the world.

The US Nuclear Retirement “Cliff”

Beginning in 2028, nuclear power plant retirements will increase dramatically.

DOE sees Industry Leading Future Nuclear

“In the United States, it is the responsibility of industry to design, construct, and operate commercial nuclear power plants.” (pg 22)

“It is ultimately industry’s decision which commercial technologies will be deployed. The federal role falls more squarely in the realm of R&D.” (pg 16)

“The decision to deploy nuclear energy systems is made by industry and the private sector in market-based economies.” (pg 45)

Modular construction of nuclear reactors in a factory environment has become increasingly desirable to reduce uncertainties about costs and quality.

Liquid-fluoride reactors, with their low-pressure reactor vessels, are

particularly suitable to modular construction in a factory and delivery

to a power generation site.

One-Fluid 1000-MWe MSBR

Image source: ORNL-4832: MSRP-SaPR-08/72, pg 6

UraniumSeparation

Rare EarthThorium Sep From

Protactinium/Uranium

Pa Decay/U Separation

Rare Earth Separation

Gaseous FissionProducts/Nobel Metals

The Single Fluid Salt Processing Has Several Separation Steps

Two-Fluid 250-MWe MSBR: August 1967

ORNL-4191, sec 5 ORNL-4528, sec 5

Two-Fluid 250-MWe MSBR: August 1967

ORNL-4191, sec 5 ORNL-4528, sec 5

How does a fluoride reactor use thorium?

Core

FluorideVolatility

FluorideVolatility

VacuumDistillation

Blanket

Uranium Absorptionand Reduction

Recycle Fertile Salt

Recycle Fuel Salt

Fuel Salt

Fertile Salt

UF6

UF4

UF6

Two-Fluid Reactor

FissionProductWaste

ORNL 1967 Two-Fluid 250-MWe Modular Reactors

ORNL-4528, pg 20

1967 ORNL Modular MSBR, Modern Renderings

Two-Fluid MSBR Dual Module Isometric View

Two-Fluid MSBR Dual Module Front View

Two-Fluid MSBR Reactor Module and Core Cutaway

Flibe Energy was formed in order to further develop liquid-fluoride reactor technology and to supply the world with

affordable and sustainable energy, water and fuel.

We believe in the vision of a sustainable, prosperous future

enabled by liquid-fluoride reactors producing electricity and

desalinated water.

Located in Huntsville, Alabama

Water, Rail, and Air Freight Access to the World

Waterways to Gulf of Mexico and US Interior

International Air Freight

Extensive Rail Network

Oak Ridge—birthplace of thorium/fluoride tech

Graphite Reactor—first thorium/U233 property measurements Aircraft Reactor Experiment—first molten-salt reactor Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment—20,000+ hours operation

Proximity to Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Accessible by the Tennessee River 340km by road Some MSRP retirees still live in area

Combustion Gas Turbine Technology

established technology

modular

low-risk

Liquid-fluoride reactor produce high-temperature thermal power, enabling the use of new power conversion system technologies that reduce size and cost.

Nuclear-Heated Gas Turbine Propulsion

Liquid-Fluoride Reactor

The turbine drives a generator creating

electricityHot fuel salt

The gas is cooled and the waste heat is used to desalinate seawater

Hot coolant salt

Warm coolant salt

Warm fuel salt

Hot gas

Warm gas

Wa

rm g

as

Salt / S

alt Heat

Exch

ang

er

Salt / G

as Heat

Exch

ang

er

Turbine

Compressor

How does a fluoride reactor make electricity?

Reactor containment boundary

How does a fluoride reactor use thorium?

VacuumDistillation

FissionProductWaste

Thorium tetrafluoride

238U

Core

Blanket

Recycled7LiF-BeF2

External “batch” processing of core salt,

done on a schedule

FluorideVolatility

HexafluorideDistillation

MoF6, TcF6, SeF6,RuF5, TeF6, IF7,

Other F6

F2

Uranium

Red

uction

Fluoride V

olatility

UF6

H2

HF

HF Electrolyzer

Fertile Salt

Recycle Fertile Salt

Fuel Salt

Recycle Fuel Salt

UF6

“Bare” SaltxF6

Uranium Absorption-Reduction

Liquid fuels enable enhanced safety

In the event of TOTAL loss of power, the freeze plug melts and the core salt drains into a passively cooled configuration where nuclear fission and meltdown are not possible.

The reactor is equipped with a “freeze plug”—an open line where a frozen plug of salt is blocking the flow.

The plug is kept frozen by an external cooling fan.

Freeze Plug

Drain Tank

Today’s Nuclear Approach

Uranium

0.3% (depleted) 0.7% (natural) 3-5% (LEU) 93% (HEU)

ThoriumPlutonium/TRU

Uranium Mill

LEUO2 FuelFabrication

Facility

NUO2 to NUF6Conversion

Facility

UraniumEnrichment

Facility

UraniumMine

LEUO2-FueledLight-Water

Reactor

Highly-EnrichedUranium

Stockpiles

Weapons-GradePlutonium

DepletedUranium

Stockpiles

HEUDownblending

Facility

YuccaMountainFacility

Reactor-GradePlutonium

NUO2 = Natural Uranium Dioxide

NUF6 = Natural Uranium Hexafluoride

LEUO2 = Low-Enrichment Uranium Dioxide

Existing U233Inventory

ThoriumStockpiles

Conventionally-Proposed Nuclear Approach

Uranium

0.3% (depleted) 0.7% (natural) 3-5% (LEU) 93% (HEU)

ThoriumPlutonium/TRU

Uranium Mill

LEUO2 FuelFabrication

Facility

NUO2 to NUF6Conversion

Facility

UraniumEnrichment

Facility

UraniumMine

LEUO2-FueledLight-Water

Reactor

Highly-EnrichedUranium

Stockpiles

Weapons-GradePlutonium

Existing U233Inventory

DepletedUranium

Stockpiles

HEUDownblending

Facility

YuccaMountainFacility

NUO2 = Natural Uranium Dioxide

NUF6 = Natural Uranium Hexafluoride

LEUO2 = Low-Enrichment Uranium Dioxide

MOX = Mixed Oxide Fuel (contain plutonium)

MOX FuelFabrication

Facility

MOX-FueledLight-Water

Reactor

AqueousReprocessing

Plant

ThoriumStockpiles

Dispose inWIPP

Transition to Thorium Proposed Nuclear Approach

Uranium

0.3% (depleted) 0.7% (natural) 3-5% (LEU) 93% (HEU)

ThoriumPlutonium/TRU

UraniumReserves and

Imports

LEUO2-FueledLight-Water

Reactors

Highly-EnrichedUranium

Stockpiles

Weapons-GradePlutoniumStockpiles

U233Inventory

DepletedUranium

Stockpiles

TRU-FueledLiquid-Chloride

Reactors

XUO2Fluorination

Facility

Liquid-FluorideThoriumReactors

(U233 start)

Liquid-FluorideThoriumReactors

(HEU start)

DUF6 to DUO2Conversion

Facility

UndergroundBurial

ThoriumStockpiles &Rare Earth

Mining

Reactor-GradePlutonium

DUO2

TRU

U233

DU

F6

F2F2

F2

U2

33

LEUO2 = Low-Enrichment Uranium Dioxide

XUO2 = Exposed Uranium Dioxide Fuel

TRU = Transuranics (Pu, Am, Cm, Np)

DUF6 = Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride

DUO2 = Depleted Uranium Dioxide

F2 = Gaseous Fluorine

“During my life I have witnessed extraordinary feats of human ingenuity. I believe that this struggling ingenuity will be equal to the task of creating the Second Nuclear Era.”

“My only regret is that I will not be here to witness its success.”

—Alvin Weinberg (1915-2006)