An Overview of the Integral Molten Salt Reactor

Transcription

1 1 Presentation to IAEA MSR Workshop 1 st Nov 2016 An Overview of the Integral Molten Salt Reactor 1

2 2 DISCLAIMER This presentation may contain forward-looking information as such term is defined under applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that is based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action and may include future-oriented financial information ( FOFI ) and information presented in the form of a financial outlook with respect to prospective results of operations, financial position or cash flows that is presented either as a forecast or a projection. Investors are advised that forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations as expressed or implied within this presentation. Forward-looking information reflects current expectations with respect to current events and is not a guarantee of future performance. Any forward-looking information that may be included or incorporated by reference in this presentation, including any FOFI or a financial outlook, is presented solely for the purpose of conveying the current anticipated expectations of management and may not be appropriate for any other purposes. Investors are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information and are advised that the company is not under any obligation to update such information, other than as may be required under applicable securities laws and/or as agreed to in contract. 2

3 3 INTRODUCTION TO TERRESTRIAL ENERGY Terrestrial Energy Commercializing an Advanced Nuclear technology that can compete with fossils fuels combustion and change the game Technology next generation Molten Salt Reactor ( MSR ) High technology readiness for market deployment in the 2020s Completing basic/preliminary engineering work - TEI s Canadian siting project: first commercial IMSR power plant (400 MWth reactor) at a site in Canada in the 2020s Commenced Phase I of CNSC VDR - TEUSA s US siting project: first commercial IMSR power plant (400 MWth reactor) at a site in US in the 2020s Invited to submit Part II DOE loan guarantee application Idaho National Laboratory, ID, USA is a lead candidate site Terrestrial Energy is a leading advanced reactor developer in a fast developing cleantech sector 3

4 4 RECENT MILESTONES 1Q 2016 April 2016 June 2016 August 2016 September 2016 Commenced regulatory engagement - signed CNSC Service Agreement for IMSR Vendor Design Review Awarded $5.7mn cleantech grant by SDTC Canadian Federal Government Formed Corporate Industrial Advisory Board with senior executives from ENW, OPG, PSEG, Southern Company Terrestrial Energy USA Ltd (TEUSA) awarded GAIN grant from United States Department of Energy $22.5mn funding milestone reached on completion of $5.3mn Series 2 Preferred Investment Round TEUSA receives invitation to submit Part II for a United States Department of Energy $800 Mn to $1.2 Bn loan guarantee to support engineering, licensing and construction of first U.S. IMSR power plant 4

5 5 TERRESTRIAL ENERGY S CORPORATE INDUSTRIAL ADVISORY BOARD Power Utilities Industrial Duke Energy owns and operates six nuclear power stations in North Carolina and South Carolina, USA. - Represented by John W. (Bill) Pitesa, Chief Nuclear Officer Energy Northwest operates the Columbia Generating Station, located in Richland, Washington, USA. - Represented by Mark Reddemann, Chief Executive Officer NB Power owns and operates the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station, New Brunswick, Canada. - Represented by Gaëtan Thomas President and Chief Executive Officer Ontario Power Generation owns and operates the Pickering and Darlington Nuclear Power Stations in Ontario, Canada. - Represented by Jeff Lyash, President and Chief Executive Officer PSEG Nuclear operates the Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations in Lower Alloways Creek, New Jersey, USA, and is a part owner of the Peach Bottom Nuclear generation station in Delta, Pennsylvania, USA. - Represented by William Levis, PSEG Power, President and Chief Operating Officer Southern Nuclear Operating Company operates the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro, Georgia, USA, and the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley, Georgia, USA, and the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan, Alabama, USA. - Represented by Stephen Kuczynski, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Caterpillar is the leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. - Represented by Dan Henderson Director of Research and Advanced Engineering 5

6 6 TECHNOLOGY 6

7 7 ADVANTAGES OF MOLTEN SALT REACTORS Safety Enhanced ability for passive decay heat removal Inherent Stability from strong negative reactivity coefficients Low pressure and no chemical driving force Caesium and Iodine stable within the fuel salt Reduced Capital Cost Inherent safety can simplify entire facility Low pressure, high thermal efficiency, superior coolants (smaller pumps, heat exchangers). No complex refuelling mechanisms Long Lived Waste Issues Ideal system for consuming existing transuranic wastes Even MSR-Burner designs can close cycle for almost no transuranics going to waste Resource Sustainability and Low Fuel Cycle Cost Th-U233 thermal or U-Pu fast breeders obvious but MSR-Burners on LEU also very efficient on uranium use 7

8 8 THE 1970s SINGLE FLUID, GRAPHITE MODERATED MOLTEN SALT BREEDER REACTOR (MSBR) 1000 MWe 8

9 9 CHALLENGES OF 1970 S MSR-BREEDER DESIGN Online Fission Product Removal Tritium Control Reactivity Temperature Coefficients (only weakly negative) Use of Highly Enriched Uranium Long Term Corrosion or Radiation Damage Graphite Replacement Operations 9

10 10 ARE BREEDERS NEEDED NOW? Breeder approach is a needed long term goal and work should continue but world has immediate need of nuclear power replacing fossil fuel Uranium is quite abundant. Quoted resources are only what is confirmed by expensive drilling. More exploration equals more resources MSR-Burner approach of running of Low Enriched Uranium solves many challenges The last major work of ORNL in the late 1970s was a MSR- Burner, the Denatured Molten Salt Reactor (DMSR) 10

11 11 ISSUES SOLVED BY THE MSR-BURNER APPROACH Fission product removal No need for any salt processing Salts used as batches with periodic fuel additions Tritium Control Able to use non FLiBe carrier salts to curtail tritium production NaF, RbF, ZrF4 and KF among potential ingredients Reactivity Coefficients MSR-Burners have superior reactivity coefficients (solves positive graphite temperature coefficient seen in Th-U233 Breeder) Low Enriched Uranium Only Highly proliferation resistant as U always LEU (denatured), Pu at low concentration and poor isotopic blend. No blankets or fuel processing needed Unlike almost all advanced reactors, Startup and Makeup fuel can be 5% enrichment or lower (commercially pragmatic) 11

12 REMAINING CHALLENGES ARE MATERIALS RELATED 12 Long Term Corrosion or Radiation Damage High Nickel alloys or even stainless steels perform superbly but proving a 30+ year lifetime a challenge for both reactor vessel and primary heat exchanger Use and Replacement of Graphite Unclad graphite use gives very strong advantages Very low enrichment fuel (~2% enriched LEU) Makes Out of Core Criticality virtually impossible Protects vessel wall from high neutron flux Graphite s lifetime however is directly related to power density 12

13 13 WHAT IS TERRESTRIAL ENERGY S IMSR? Integral Molten Salt Reactor LEU fueled MSR-Burner design like the 1980 DMSR Integrates all primary systems into a sealed reactor vessel 7 year Core unit Seal and Swap approach to graphite lifetime Planned as 400 MWth (~ 192 MWe) 3.6 m wide Core-unit for eased transportability Alternate Non-FLiBE salt possible and new off gas system New passive decay heat removal in situ without dump tanks Safety at forefront which leads to cost innovation 13

14 14 SCHEMATIC VIEW OF IMSR POWER TRAIN 14

15 15 IMSR SINGLE UNIT, TWIN SILOS FOR SWITCHLOADING 15

16 16 IMSR OVERALL FACILITY LAYOUT Fuel oil and water tanks Reactor Auxiliary Building Cooling Towers Turbine Building Steam Generators Control Building Grid Connect Yard 16

17 17 IMSR NPP CONSISTS OF NUCLEAR ISLAND AND BALANCE-OF-PLANT Balance-of-Plant Nuclear Island IMSR Nuclear Island produces 600 o C industrial heat. Balance-of-Plant can be a broad range of industrial applications not just power provision 17

18 18 IN-SITU DECAY HEAT REMOVAL NEW INNOVATION Freeze Valve and Dump Tank the traditional approach Results in unwanted lower penetrations and regulator likely to assume failure to drain is possible IMSR approach has long been in-situ decay heat removal Convection and natural circulation brings decay heat to vessel wall Radiant transfer to Guard Vessel (Guard=Containment) 700 C surface 9x radiant heat compared to 300 C From there, water jacket options or PRISM like RVACS Reactor Vessel Auxiliary Cooling System 18

19 19 PRISM RVACS Well Studied and Accepted 19

20 20 DRAWBACKS OF RVACS DESIGN FOR MSR USE Drawbacks of RVACS include the potential activation of passing air to Argon41 (110 min half life) Significant neutron shielding required to bring Ar41 rates to acceptable (and what level is publically acceptable?) As well, any remote possibility of breach of containment (Guard Vessel) means a relatively direct pathway for radionuclides 20

21 21 TERRETRIAL ENERGY S NEW IRVACS IMSR utilizes a new innovative concept, proving extremely robust Basic concept is a closed cycle innovation of RVACS that retains a further barrier to the outside world New Internal RVACS or IRVACS moves heat by a closed cycle flow of nitrogen to a false roof acting as a large heat exchanger above the structural roof Fails Better If roof penetrated, outside air improves performance Modeling (including 140 million mesh CFD) showing excellent behaviour for even most severe accident scenarios of losing all secondary heat transfer 21

22 IRVACS 22 22

23 23 IRVACS 23

24 24 CHALLENGES SOLVED WITH IMSR Sealed for life offers enormous regulatory advantages to accelerate development Spent vessel is now intermediate storage of graphite Airborne release risk during graphite replacement eliminated Long cool down time before moving unit Material lifetime and corrosion issues greatly eased Good fuel economy on Once Through Future recycling to close fuel cycle and improve fuel economy commercially attractive Offers obvious razor blade analogy of continuous sales to attract industrial partners 24

25 25 CONTACT DETAILS David LeBlanc Ph. D. Chief Technology Officer Terrestrial Energy Inc Upper Middle Rd East, Suite 102 Oakville ON L6H 0C3 CANADA T: +1(905) E: 25