Dr. Alireza Haghighat

Transcription

1 Dr. Alireza Haghighat Professor of Nuclear Engineering Director of Nuclear Science & Engineering Lab (NSEL) Nuclear Engineering of Program, Mechanical Engineering Dept. & (Presented at the Workshop Energy Options Portfolio in Technical and Cultural Contexts, DTU&VT Joint Forum, May 14-17, 2012)

2 Status of Nuclear Energy Contents Benefits, Challenges &Viability of Nuclear Energy Next generation nuclear reactor technology (safety, security, economy) Recent Japan s natural disaster Remarks (What Next?)

3 Energy Energy may be the defining issue of this century. Our quality of life, economy, standard of living, and security depend on clean, safe, affordable and reliable energy.

4 US Primary Energy Flow by Source and Sector

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6 Operating Nuclear Power Plants World US

7 Percentage of Electricity Generated by Nuclear Energy (World-wide) 18 countries generate 20% or more of their electricity by Nuclear Power

8 Nuclear Power - Not for electricity generation *in 2006 Research reactors World* Ships & submarines 284 in 56 countries 220

9 Nuclear Power Electricity Generation (status) United States # NP* # States Average # of operation years (%) Electricity # of years for Life extension ~24 ~20 20 *Licensed for 40 years

10 60 40 Power plants built in the US ( ) Other Natural Gas Nuclear Coal

11 Why Nuclear Power?

12 Price of Electricity Generation 20,00 18,00 16,00 14,00 12,00 10,00 8,00 6,00 4,00 United States (cent) Coal Gas Nuclear Petroleum Country Europe (Euro-cent) Power prices across Europe Domestic 3.5 GWh/y Germany 27.8 Czech Republic 15.4 Spain 21.5 Netherlands 22.2 UK 16.7 Finland 15.7 France ,00 0, Source: energy.eu data for November Prices in euro cents are the end-user price inclusive of all duties except recoverable taxes

13 Comparison of different energy sources based on energy content Source Energy content Ratio (other source/fission) Nuclear (fission, U-235) 570,000 kwh/ounce 1 Natural gas 30 kwh/100 cubic feet 8.06E-7 Oil 40 kwh/gallon 6.90E-7 Coal 7,300 kwh/ton 3.98E-7 Nuclear (fusion, Deuterium) 2,600,000 kwh/ounce 4.56

14 Fuel Type Comparison of Capacity Factors by Fuel Type in US. 2007* Average Capacity Factors (%) Nuclear 91.8 Coal (Steam Turbine) 71.8 Gas (Combined Cycle) 43.3 Gas (Steam Turbine) 16.0 Oil (Steam Turbine) 19.6 Hydro 27.8 Wind 30.4 Solar 19.8 * Preliminary Source: Global Energy Decisions / Energy Information Administration Updated: 4/08

15 Climate effect in US Prevents emission of CO2 equivalent to annual emission of 96% cars in the US Prevents emission of NO2 equivalent to annual emission of 51% of cars in the US

16 Small amount of Used Nuclear Fuel (UNF) Nuclear Waste Without reprocessing As of Dec. 2005, total waste volume of 103 operating reactor is one football field with a height of 10 feet

17 Comparison* of nuclear vs. Other sources Source Coal Nuclear Mining & transportation (1GW) 1.5 deaths/yr 4 deaths/yr of black-lung disease 0.2 deaths/yr 0.1 deaths/yr from lung cancer Climate Global warming; emission for 1-GW plant: CO2 (15 ton/min ); SO2 (0.2 ton/min) Limited emission: diluted radioactive gases Hydro N/A Blocked rivers Changing ecology Wind? Land use (50 W/sq. yard) Waste (1 GW plant) 30 lb of ashes/s 2 cubic yards of HLW/yr Risk Normal operation: 10,000 people die prematurely in US per year Accident: Because of Chernobyl accident, 10,000 people may die worldwide in 50 years? Flooding; Increased salt concentration (reduction in usefulness); Siltation? Occupational hazards Killing birds Noise Solar? Land use (30 W/m 2 )? cost? *Reference: Richard Wolfson, Nuclear Choice A Citizen s Guide to Nuclear Technology

18 Radiation We need to do a much better job in educating the public! Examples for BAD teaching Did you know we are radioactive? We carry radioactive materials including C-14 and K-40 For an adult An activity of 7,500 disintegration/s, dose of 0.25 msv, or 25 mrem is estimated. What is the meaning of above numbers? Annual radiation exposure is ~ mrem Exposure due a CT exam can ~ mrem! NRC s annual limit for public is 500 mrem NRC s annual limit for radiation workers is 5000 mrem

19 US Electricity Needs* *Generating capacity should increase 25% by 2030!

20 60 NPPs under construction worldwide X3 x0

21 Over 200 reactors are planned worldwide; 30 are in the US

22 Electricity Generation in Virginia Cost of electricity in Virginia is ~10% below the national average. The State has limited amount of coal, and has to import its supply of natural gas. Currently, the cost of electricity from these resources is 2 to 6 times higher than nuclear power. Dominion has submitted COL application for building North Anna Unit 3

23 Virginia - Key Nuclear Organizations Organization AREVA NP, Inc. AREVA & Northrop- Grumman Shipbuilding B&W Nuclear Operations Group B&W Nuclear Energy, Inc. CAER (Center for Advanced Engineering and Research) Dominion Flowserve Industries Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems (MNES) Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Newport News Shipyard Toshiba American Nuclear Energy Major Activities A major nuclear vendor, which provides various services for nuclear reactors, and designs and builds EPRs, U.S. headquarters in Lynchburg Establishing a facility for building heavy components of reactors in Newport News Provides services for DOD and DOE for Navy reactors, located in Lynchburg Provides services, and has designed the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) called mpower, located in Lynchburg Has received necessary funding from State and industry to establish an advanced nuclear reactor control room in partnership with AREVA, and an integral test loop facility for the mpower in partnership with B&W, located in Bedford County Generates ~40% of electricity of the State from nuclear power, and is planning to build one new reactor, headquartered in Richmond A world leader in supplying pumps, valves, seals, automation, and services to the nuclear power, oil, gas, chemical, and other industries. Has a large facility in Lynchburg. Is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), which supplies commercial industries with efficient, safe, and economical nuclear products and services; signed an agreement with Dominion to build a new Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor (APWR). U.S. headquarters in Arlington Builds U.S. Navy nuclear powered submarines and sole builder of nuclear powered aircraft carriers. Conducts maintenance on all naval nuclear propulsion systems. Is a subsidiary of Toshiba, supplies nuclear energy services and is promoting the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) in the U.S. Headquarters located in Falls Church.

24 Nuclear Renaissance

25 Viability of Nuclear Energy It is necessary that all the major constituents are viable and able to work together, while addressing international collaboration and concerns Design Certification Industry COL, Construction, O&M Regulations & Licensing NRC Leadership & Political Support DOE Technology Development, R&D Nuclear Security University Education & Research International cooperation

26 Challenges & Possible Solutions (raised by public) Challenges High Capital Cost Waste Management Proliferation Risk Safety & Reliability

27 Plant Life Extension, Sustain excellent safety record, Digital I&C Nuclear Energy Viability DOE R&D Roadmap (April 2010) Capital cost Reduce licensing process, Improve manufacturing. and Construct SMRs, Build advanced reactors, e.g., fast reactors Develop technologies and international policies Waste management Short- & long-term plans

28 Event Date Accident Impact TMI-2 Chernobyl Marc h 28, 1979 April 25, /11 Sept 9, 2001 Fukushima Marc h 11, 2011 Equipment malfunction, operator s confusion; stopping ECCS Safety test at low power, disconnection of ECCS, violation of procedure, removal of control rods beyond the limit Positive coefficient of reactivity, lack of containment & graphite fire Flying passenger plains to buildings Major Natural Disaster: Earthquake (9.0 Richter) & Tsunami (14 m); reactor was designed for 8 Richter & 5.7 m Because of the Tsunami cooling system was disabled Financial loss Increased regulations Improved training and operation procedure Improved Capacity Factor Negative image Closure of research facilities Reduction in research/test facilities Reduction in research and education Financial loss Human loss Discontinued building the RBMK reactor design Increased security Reinforcement of building and establishment of additional rules US nuclear power industry and NRC have initiated examination of US plants Need to learn more about the events

29 Let s not repeat the same mistake! We need to: Remember that the Japan s accident was a result of a natural disaster beyond the design Learn from the Japanese disaster, and make the necessary changes and improvements Educate the public about radiation and nuclear technology and terms Realize that accidents can happen at nuclear reactors! Engage the public in discussion on risk vs. benefit of all forms of energy generation Develop programs for emergency response and recovery Educate the next generation of highly qualified leaders, scientists, engineers, technician, and skilled workers

30 Sustain and improve safety of existing reactors Explore new approaches for on-site UNF storage, and examine design vs. regional intensity of natural events Build advanced reactors with passive safety systems Design/build advanced reactors for generation of process heat, hydrogen, and burning nuclear waste Improve nuclear fuel design with better performance and more suitable waste forms

31 Questions!

32 Appendix -Major needs for realization of Nuclear Renaissance (A. Haghighat) Education & Leadership Computational Modeling & Simulation Tools Fuel Cycle R&D(Used Nuclear Fuel, Materials, MPACT, Non-proliferation/safeguards/security) Building of Test & Demonstration facilities (e.g., SUNRISE Low Power Critical Facility-LPCF) New reactor designs in support of Fuel Cycle (e.g., SMRs, Fast reactors) DIGITAL Instrumentation & Control (I&C) (Design, licensing and Implementation) (e.g., research reactors) Regulations and licensing (new reactors, Reprocessing & Recycling, repository) (e.g., research reactors)

33 SMR Assessment Tools Appendix SMR R&D Instrumentation, Controls and Human-Machine Interfaces Materials, Fuels, and Fabrication Technologies Modeling and Simulation Regulatory Policies and Processes