No fast reactor, no survival beyond 21 st century

Transcription

1 No fast reactor, no survival beyond 21 st century Let s s talk on fast reactors toward our future December 11 th, 2009 Main Hall, Plaza-Bansho Bansho, Tsuruga Yumi AKIMOTO President, Japan Atomic Energy Relations Organization

2 Civilized societies evolve with energy Per-capita consumption (1000Kcal/day) Fire and stone wares Millions Discovery of fire 5000 Hundreds of thousand Dawn persons Hunters Early farmers Advanced farmers B.C Fire and farm animal energy A.D Dawn persons: East Africa, 1 million years ago, foods only Hunters: Europe, 10,000 years go, firewoods for heating and cooking Early farmers: fecund delta, B.C.5000, cereal growing and use offarmers farm animal energy Watt s steam engine (1769-) Horse cars 1600 Firewood-waterwheel -windmill-horsepower energy Industry persons Gasoline engine Electric dynamos 1900 Coal energy Nuclear power Technology persons 1970 transport manufacture/ agriculture household/ merchant food Oil energy Petroleum equivalent consumption (billion liter/day) Advanced farmers: Northwest Europe, 1400, coal for heating, waterwheel, wind, and transport by animals Industry persons: U.K., 1875, steam engines Technology persons: U.S.A., 1970, use of electricity, foods for human and animals Reference: National Institute for Research Advancement "Considerations on Energy" 2

3 Evolutions of CO 2 emission from fossil fuel and atmospheric concentration of CO 2 (2005) CO 2 concentration (ppm) Industry revolution Others(cement manufacturing and combustion emission) Gas Oil Coal, firewood World War II CO 2 concentration (ppm) CO 2 emission Note: Summations are rounded off Reference: Home Page of Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, ORNL Global CO 2 emission (10 8 ton CO 2 ) 3

4 Two options toward independent civilized society Two approaches for clean electricity source Solar origin energy Solar heat photovoltaic hydro wind Huge amount Low density high power fluctuant irregular Collection&storage to improve in EPR index Distributed electricity source Terrestrial energy Geothermal (decay heat of radioactive isotopes) Nuclear(fission fission)( )(fusion) Inexhaustible (E=mc 2 ) High density high power Stable Confinement technique and social comprehension Backbone electricity source 4

5 Fluctuation of photovoltaic and wind power generations Fluctuation of photovoltaic power (spring) Fluctuation of wind power (winter) (kw) Rated capacity:3.2kw, north LAT 34.4,east LNG 132.4,azimuth:0,tilt:30 Rated capacity:1,100kw fine Generated electricity cloudy rainy Generated electricity o'clock o'clock photovoltaic power is subject to time and weather wind power is subject to the velocity Reference : brochure of Federation of Electric Power Companies Horikappu Power Station, Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc. 5

6 Kurobe dam 6

7 Estimations of power generation methods in EPR index Coal Oil LNG Nuclear(gas-enriched U) Nuclear(centrifugal-enriched U) Nuclear(advanced) Medium-small hydro Geothermal Wind Photovoltaic Solar-heat(tower) Solar-heat(curved surface) Wave Tidal Ocean thermal Yellow bars stand for renewable energy sources EPR(Energy Profit Ratio) = Energy output Energy expenditure Reference : "CRIEPI News No.439" from Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry 7

8 Ancient radioactive waste as our resource Terrestrial energy Helios s gift Helios s gift ecosystem Civilized society Pluto s gift 8

9 reduction of radioactivity Initial amount Examples Nuclear species half time Sodium24 24 Na 15.0 hours Radon Rn 3.8 days Iodine I 8.0 days radioactivity Cobalt60 Strontium90 Cesium Co 90 Sr 137 Cs 5.3 years 28.8 years 30 years Radium Ra 1,600 years half time Plutonium Pu 24,000 years Uranium U 4.5 billion years half time half time Time half time 9

10 Terrestrial energy Long-lived radioactive elements Nuclear species Half time Abundance ratio Nuclear decay thorium billion years ~100% α uranium billion years 99.3% α uranium billion years 0.7% α potassium billion years 0.01% β plutonium thousand years - α 10

11 Civilized society cannot survive without new paradigm technologies 1,000,000,000 times 1,000,000 times 11

12 CO2 emission of electric sources CO 2 emission per electricity of 1kWh Energy Source Coal Kg CO 2 /kwh(net output) Oil LNG LNG-combined In addition to fuel, all the related activities are counted as CO 2 emitting activities - material mining, power station construction, operation and maintenance and fuel refinement, etc. Regarding nuclear power, the planned domestic fuel reprocessing and plu-thermal and decomissioning are included. Photovoltaic fuel combustion for electric generation facility operation & services Wind Nuclear Geothermal Medium-small hydro CO 2 emission reduction by nuclear power FY 2007 Hydro -59 million tons LNG -62 million tons Nuclear -175 million tons Reference : Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry "Evaluation of Electric Generation Technologies by Lifecycle CO 2 Emission (March, 2000) "Evaluation of Nuclear Electric Generation Technology by Lifecycle CO 2 Emission"(August, 2001) 713 million tons Reduction of emission -296 million tons 417 million tons Total electricity consumption: 920 billion kwh Assumed CO 2 emission only by oil thermal Actual CO 2 emission Reference : Preliminary Calculation by Federation of Electric Power Companies 12

13 Current status of new energy sources v.s. potential of nuclear energy Power generation cost nuclear JPY 4.8~6.2/kWh Photovoltaic Wind [large] JPY 10~14/kWh JPY 46/kWh [medium-small] JPY 18~24/kWh Supposed to generate million kw ( 1 nuclear station) Total:0.6km 2 Required site area RV and turbine uildings:0.012km 2 ~67km 2 lake Toya (70.7km 2 ) ~ 246km 2 City of Otaru (243.13km 2 ) Utilization factor Japan:70% U.S, Germany, Korea:90% 12% 20% Reference : Calculated based on "Atomic nation Plan"(Aug., 2006) by Agency for Natural Resources and Energy 13

14 Mechanism of nuclear power generation <<nuclear power station>> neutron Power Fissile uranium from uranium heat fission fission product Electricity from uranium 70% Electricity from plutonium 30% Power from plutonium neutron neutron heat Fertile uranium plutonium fission fission product Reference: "Questions on plu-thermal" by The Denki Shimbun 14

15 Change of uranium fuel by burnup in LWRs Fissile uranium (U-235) Energy production: assumed average burnup: 4,5000MWD/tU Fission product (incl. 0.1% of TRU) High level radioactive waste (vitrified for geologic disposition ) Fission of plutonium generated from uranium transmuted into plutonium U % P 1.1% reusable Plutonium 30% Uranium % Uranium-238 7% Fertile uranium (U-238) Containing 0.6% U-236 Before electric generation (fresh fuel enrichment: 4.5% Spent fuel after electric generation Composition change of uranium fuel due to electric generation Contributions of electric generation by involved elements ~4.6%w of uranium fuel is consumed Reference : Encyclopedia on nuclear affairs "ATOMICA" 15

16 Quintuple walls confining radioactivity Reactor building Containment vessel Reactor pressure vessel 5th wall 4th wall 3rd wall 2nd wall 1 st wall Reactor building Containment vessel Reactor pressure vessel pellet Fuel cladding ~4 meters Fuel pin Pressurized Water Reactor Boiling Water Reactor 16

17 LWR is The Little Match Girl Freezing So many firewoods are all wet. I can t light them 17

18 LWR nuclear fuel cycle Uranium ore Uranium exploration&mining Uranium refining Yellow cake To repository site Container of hexafluorinated natural uranium High-level radioactive waste storage canister Uranium conversion Recovered uranium flour Uranium enrichment Container of hexafluorinated enriched uranium MOX flour Reprocessing plant Flour of uranium dioxide Transport cask Interim storage of spent fuel Transport cask Transport cask MOX fuel fabrication Fuel subassembly Secondary uranium conversion Flour of uranium dioxide Nuclear power plant Fuel subassembly uranium fuel fabrication Waste drums Low-level radioactive waste disposal pellet 18

19 Achieved plu-thermal in the world Installed plants 21 Installed subassemblies (At Dec. 2007) 2, units in total 6790 subassemblies in total 15 2,220 France Germany 7 U.S.A 3 ( ) Japan 3 3 Belgium Switzerland 2 2 Italy India 1 1 Netherland Sweden France Germany Note 1:Japan conducted plu-thermal also in Fugen with 772 subassemblies(march 2003) Note 2:MOX fuels are installed at Dec in France(20 units), Germany(10 units), Switzerland(3 units), Belgium(2 units) and U.S.A(1 unit) 778( ) Japan Switzerland Belgium U.S.A Italy India Netherland Sweden Reference: "Nuclear Power in 2008" by Agency for Natural Resources and Energy 19

20 Suppression of surplus plutonium by plu-thermal Plutonium balance 20

21 Fast neutron and thermal neutron Fast neutron Generated neutron at the immediate aftermath of nuclear fission with a high velocity ~14000 km/sec (1MeV) Thermal neutron Neutron with decreased velocity by collisions with water and graphite, etc., to facilitate nuclear fissions of uranium-235 ~2.2 km/sec 21

22 FBR to convert wet firewood into energy Mr. LWR Mrs. FBR Minor actinides plutonium Mrs. FBR is voracious Mr. LWR is faddy uranium Minor actinides plutonium uranium 22

23 Effective use of uranium resource Reactor type LWR (note1) (once through) LWR (plu-thermal) FBR Utilization efficiency 0.5% 0.75% (Note 2) ~60% Note 1: w/o recycling Note 2: one-time recycle Exclusive use of uranium-235 Use of uranium-238 through conversion to plutonium Reference Atsuyuki Suzuki "plutonium" 23

24 First commercial reactor of each country U.S.S.R Obninsk 5MW 27 Jun graphite moderated heavy water cooled France Marcoule G-1 1 5MW 06 Jan graphite moderated gas cooled U.K. Calder Hall 60MW 23 May 1956 graphite moderated gas cooled U.S.A. Shippingport 50MW 02 Dec Pressurized light water cooled 24

25 Why fast reactor started late A born peaceful use technology Use of exotic material Victim of political fights as a symbol of peaceful use 25

26 Fast reactors sacrificed by political fights in countries U.S.A.:Carter administration s plutonium moratorium Germany: Nuclear abolition policy of Social Democratic Party & Green Party French: Green Party s abrogation of Superphenix by decree of minister of environment 26

27 JAEA s Tokai reprocessing plant 27

28 JAEA s Tokai plutonium fuel test building 28

29 Comprehensive strategy for sustainability-centered development Resource and environment factors Development policy of advanced reactors International cooperation C o n v e n t i o n a l c o n c e p t abundant acquirement and use of energy resource priority on cheaper energy therapy deal environmental measure priority on reactor performance cost competition with LWRs recycling as an adjunct of reactor technology separate development of fuel cycle embargo on information export for national interest country-by by-country development strategy and structure S u s t a i n a b l e c o n c e p t energy resource utilization without adverse legacy planned use of limited resource minimize environmental impact of resource exploitation priority on consistency with backend compensation of LWR s defects reactor as a element of fuel cycle unified development of cycle and reactor information share for common interest sped-up development, cost saving internationally cooperated development strategy and structure 29

30 Radioactive waste reduction by FBRs FBRs have potential in volume reduction of high-level radioactive waste jointly by minor actinide (Np, Am, Cm) recycle and high thermal efficiency. (Further reduction is possible if separate disposal of heat generating FPs will be put into practice.) Yield of vitrified waste (pieces/gwy) Yield of vitrified waste (pieces/gwy) Utilizable years of repository (years) high FBR efficiency and restriction alleviation of vitrifying heat generation by MA removal Increase FP content rate by removal of heat generating FPs liability releaf of glass melter by removing platinoid FPs Utilizable years of repository (years)* LWR reprocessing at Rokkasho FBR MA recycle FBR MA recycle +FP separation Utilizable years of repository (years)* Stands for period to saturate repository volume for 40,000 vitrified pieces, assuming total installed nuclear power as 58GWe, Reference: Abstract of "Report on Feasibility Study Phase II" 30

31 Nuclear fuel cycle FBR s advantage (breeding, multiple plutonium recycle, easing HLW disposal).. Complementing LWR system LWR system LWR reprocessing (ready-made technology) Fission product Enriched U U+P Minor Actinide FBR system FBR reprocessing (technology to come) Fission product U+P Minor Actinide Natural U 31