Reactors of the Future
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Transcript of Reactors of the Future
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Reed Reactor Special Requal Lecture
Reactors of the Future
Generations III+ through V
Ian Flower
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What will we cover?
Tour of Reactor DesignsGeneration III+Generation IVGeneration V
Limitations/Advantages of EachRoad Map for the future
Reed Reactor Special Requal Lecture
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Where are we?
Reed Reactor Special Requal Lecture
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Advanced Reactors
Improvements on current designs:
ABWR (Advanced Boiling Water Reactor)ESBWR (Economic Simplified BWR)Subcritical ReactorsThorium-Based Reactors
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ABWR
GE HitachiHuge improvements on existing BWR technology
DigitalEmergency CoolingRecirculationCleanup LoopControl Rod precision
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ESBWR
No Recirculation Pumps
Core is shorter
Gravity makes it passively safe.
Reed Reactor Special Requal Lecture
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Generation IV
GoalsEnvironmental FriendlinessMinimization of WasteFuel UtilizationEfficiencyLower costsPassive SafetyEliminate need for offsite emergency responseTerrorist-proof reactors
DesignsGFR (Gas-cooled Fast)LFR (Lead-cooled Fast)SFR (Sodium-cooled Fast)MSR (Molten-Salt Reactor)SCWR (SuperCritical Water)VHTR (Very High Temperature)
Reed Reactor Special Requal Lecture
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Gas-cooled Fast Reactor
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Gas-cooled Fast Reactor
GFRCO2 or HeHigher TemperatureNon activated coolantNo flashes to steamHave to consider:
Neutron absorption leads to positive void coefficient
Fuel ElementsCeramicsGood at High TemperatureRetain Fission Fragments
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A Note About Fast Reactors
No ModeratorDifficult to controlControl rods are too slow to make adjustmentsStabilized instead by:
Doppler BroadeningNeutron PoisonsNeutron Reflector
Acceptable fuels
Uranium, ObviouslyBut more things, too!
Thorium yields U233TransuranicsBreeder potential
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Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor
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Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor
The closest to constructionCons:
Sodium activatesSodium is really reactive
Pros:Can reuse high-level waste soonSodium can be kept at atmospheric pressureSodium is a bad moderatorSeveral reactors connected to same water system
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Another Note About Fast Reactors
Excess heat can be used to produce Hydrogen fuel
I’ll leave the deciphering of this diagram to others
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Lead-cooled Fast Reactor
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Lead-cooled Fast Reactor
I know what you’re thinking.WHY LEAD?!
ShieldingTerrorism-PreventionNon moderatorNon-reactingThermal conductivityHigh Boiling Point
But current designs would have cores that last 10-30 years!
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A Final Note on Fast Reactors
Nuclear Fuel CycleLife cycle of nuclear fuel from mining to disposal
Open Fuel Cycle (aka once through)
Use the fuel once, dispose of it
Closed Fuel CycleFuel is reprocessed
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Molten Salt Reactor
Reed Reactor Special Requal Lecture
Two types:•LFTR•UF4
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Molten Salt ReactorPros:
Leaks are easy to containHigh temperature leads to good thermal efficiencyWork in all sizesAlready proven technologyTerrorist-proofRefuel as you go
Cons:Chemical processing plants can pose additional risks
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A Note on the Thorium Fuel Cycle
Thorium is 3-4 times as abundant as U238Thorium comes in the isotope you wantHigher Melting PointHigher Thermal conductivity
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What the H is Supercritical Water?
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Supercritical Water Reactor
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Supercritical Water Reactor
Supercritical Water: not as good of a moderatorPros:
Could operate as a Thermal Reactor or Fast ReactorMuch more efficient energy gainSimpler DesignsDon’t have to be as large
Cons:Need better materialsNeed to figure out how to start upNot sure how it will work
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Why would we still use Thermal Reactors?To augment the
cycle that we already have:
Fast reactors make the waste disposal needs of thermal reactors obsoleteThermal reactors generate lots of powerThermal reactors are easy to build and control
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Very High Temperature Reactor
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Very High Temperature ReactorMost common design:Pebble Bed Reactor
Tennis-ball sized spheres of moderator and fissile materialCeramicsCooled by a gas, can be cooled naturally
Pros:EconomicHydrogen ProductionSafer than current reactors
Cons:Materials research needed
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Generation V
Theoretical Designs:
Nuclear Thermal RocketNuclear Lightbulb (Rocket)Fission Fragment Reactor (Rocket)
There is a trend hereReed Reactor Special Requal
Lecture
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Nuclear Thermal Rocket
Pass a working fluid through a reactorCreate thrustLiquid Core designs
Liquid mixture of fuel/working gas
Gas Core designsToroidal pocket of gaseous fuel
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Nuclear Thermal Rocket
Problems:Not incredibly efficient unless Liquid/GasLiquid/Gas are hard to build
Pros:Liquid/Gas would be amazing
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Nuclear Lightbulb
Gas CoreVery Hot
Approx. 25000 CHotter than the surface of the sun
EM produced all UltravioletQuartz wall divides core and propellant
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Nuclear LightbulbAs a Power Reactor?
Closed loopWorking gas instead of propellant
Pros:Efficient conversion of energy to power
Cons:25000 C? Wow!Neutron Flux would be unwieldy
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Gas Core EM Reactor
Reed Reactor Special Requal Lecture
Nuclear Lightbulb
Photo-Voltaics
Photo-Voltaics
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Fission Fragment Rocket
The concept:Fission produces heavy, high energy byproductsExhaust the fission fragments!
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Fission Fragment Rocket
Reed Reactor Special Requal Lecture
a fissionable filaments, b revolving disks,c reactor core, d fragments exhaust
A fission fragments ejected for propulsionB reactorC fission fragments decelerated for power generationd moderator (BeO or LiH), e containment field generator, f RF induction coil
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Fission Fragment Reactor
But what about power?
Part C produce electricity
Pros:Skip the Carnot CycleIncredibly efficientIsotopic Separation
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Timeline
Viability:Show that it all works in theory
PerformanceShow that it all works individually in practice
DemonstrationBuild large prototypes and watch carefully
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Two Graphs For You
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