CANDU Reactor Fuel Cycle Flexibility Catherine Cottrell Project Engineering Manager, NUE and AFCR Candu Energy Inc. Technical Meeting on High Burnup Fuel Experience and Economics Buenos Aires, Argentina November 27, 2013
Outline Candu Energy Update Outlook for Resource Requirements Adaptability of the CANDU Reactor Use of Advanced Fuel Cycles in CANDU Reactors Future Work 1
Candu Energy Update Established in 2011 to acquire commercial reactor business of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) Holds exclusive right to all aspects of CANDU reactor technology; continues CANDU reactor-related business in Canada and internationally 60 years of CANDU reactor development A wholly owned subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin Two years in, Candu Energy off and running a growing business 2
Candu Energy s Perspective on Fuel Cycles Successful nuclear power future will drive fuel cycle adaptations Drivers include: Economics Resource utilization Waste management 3
Global Nuclear Power Development Scenario Latest Prediction by IEA (November 2011) Uranium Demand Year Nuclear Capacity (GWe) Nuclear Generation (TWh/a) Annual Uranium Demand (t/a) Lifetime Uranium Demand (t) 2009 393 2,700 67,500*** 4,050,000*** 2035* 630 4,660 116,500*** 6,990,000*** 2050** 3,720 26,660 665,000*** 39,900,000*** * Latest IEA prediction for a New Policy Scenario up to 2035 ** According to WNA / IEA studies, it is required to expand nuclear generation about 10 times for Sustainable Energy Scenario to 2050 *** Average uranium consumption at 25 tu/twh or 178.77 tu per GWe net with a load factor of 81.63%. Standard lifetime for a nuclear plant is assumed to be or extended to 60 years 4
China s Nuclear Power Program Uranium Demand Year Nuclear Capacity (GWe) Nuclear Capacity (% ) Annual Uranium Demand** (t NU/a) Lifetime Uranium Demand Total** (t NU) 2011 12 1.1 2,160 129,600 2020 60-80 4-5 11 15,000 648 864,000 2030 120-160 6-8 22 29,000 1,296 1,728,000 2050 350 450*** 12-16 58 75,000 3,456 4,536,000 ~ 25% of world s total uranium resources* ~ 60% of world s total uranium resources* * Uranium Red Book 2011 reported a world total of proven economic uranium reserves at 6.3 Mt at $260/kg NU (plus prognosticated and speculative resources at 16 million tonnes uranium reserves in total) ** Assuming ~180 t U per GWe per year for a 60 year plant life *** China may have 30 GWe Fast Breeder Reactors according to CAE Study 2011, reducing uranium demand by 30 * 180 * 60 = 324,000 t 5
Some Short Term Solutions and CANDU Advantages Explore and access new uranium resources Extensive exploration in China Strong China and Canada uranium trade Use existing uranium resources with the highest efficiency possible CANDU reactors use ~30% less uranium than any other technology Reprocess and reuse uranium from LWR spent fuel China has a pilot reprocessing plant China is negotiating/designing a full scale industrial reprocessing plant CANDU reactors use recycled uranium in the most economic and simplest manner Use alternative fuel resources such as Thorium (Th) China has extensive Thorium resources CANDU reactors were originally designed both for Uranium and Thorium use 6
The CANDU Power Reactor Large heat sinks On-power fueling Heavy water moderator Heavy or light water coolant Modular design Fuel bundle Calandria tube Pressure tube 7 AECL - OFFICIAL USE ONLY / À USAGE EXCLUSIF - EACL
Advancing Fuel Cycle Options CANDU technology ideally placed: Simple and small fuel bundle Efficient fuel utilization Adaptable core through on-power refuelling Minimal (in some cases no) changes in reactor design to use different fuels 8
Recycled Uranium, Depleted Uranium & Thorium Resources Recycled Uranium 90,000 tons manufactured to date Majority in storage Production 4000 ton/year Going up to 6000 ton/year Average 235 U content ~0.95% Much lower cost than NU But, difficult and costly to enrich even numbered isotope issues during enrichment, over enrichment required radiation protection challenges during enrichment Depleted Uranium 1 to 1.5 million ton of global stocks!! 0.2 to 0.3% 235 U (lost value) ~50,000ton/year production enrichment by-product Thorium Abundant fertile material Globally well distributed and more available than NU Superior material properties Enhanced margins 9
Candu Energy Technology & Business Objectives in China In collaboration with Chinese utility partners, use unique CANDU advantages to reduce China s demand for natural uranium (NU) by; Converting existing Chinese CANDU reactors to Recycled Uranium (RU) and Depleted Uranium (DU) fuels without any impact on existing licensing and operating basis (NUE project) Increasing Recycled Uranium utilization further and introduce new fertile material Thorium into the fuel stream with the new Generation III Reactor (Advanced Fuel CANDU Reactor, AFCR project) 1 0
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable Natural Uranium Equivalent (NUE) Fuel in Existing CANDU Plants NUE fuel is a mixture of RU and DU with equivalency to NU NUE fuel can replace NU (and vice versa) in existing CANDU reactors NUE advantages: RU has higher fissile content than NU generally between 0.75 to 0.95 wt% fissile RU requires no enrichment for use in CANDU reactors Brings RU back into the fuel cycle Eliminates RU storage need and cost Brings DU back into the fuel cycle Favorable economics Simple mixing process of RU and DU during manufacturing Minimal impact on current CANDU fuel manufacturing plants Designed to be within the existing licensing, safety and operating envelope Fuel developed, designed and licensed for commercial verification testing in China within 18 months 11
The CANDU Advantage in Recycled Uranium 552 t/a DU enrichment tails 1420 t/a RU CANDU NUE Option PWR RU Option 1420 t/a RU Blend RU & DU to make NUE fuel Fabricate CANDU fuel Use fuel in CANDU 6 1972 t/a NUE - Simple process - Lower Cost ~ 39% more energy from CANDU NUE option Enrich Fabricate PWR fuel Use fuel in PWR 174 t/a LEU 1246 t/a depleted RU waste stream - Complex process - Higher cost ~1.248 M SWU = $186M SWU cost 12 14.4 GW e ~ 0 SWU = $0 SWU Cost 8.7 GW e
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable Natural Uranium Equivalent (NUE) Fuel in Existing CANDU Plants Successful NUE fuel demonstration testing in Qinshan CANDU reactor 24 test bundles loaded into Qinshan units in 2010 for testing Testing completed successfully in 2011 All test bundles inspected for confirmation Commercial agreement for full core fuel design, safety & licensing case signed in April 2011 13
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable Natural Uranium Equivalent (NUE) Fuel in Existing CANDU Plants NUE Full Core Implementation Project for Qinshan CANDU reactors Activities required to demonstrate: NUE fuel stays within existing safety case No significant changes to reactor Sufficient margin to safety limits maintained 14
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable NUE Fuel Full Core Implementation Project - Status Parties currently working on the full core NUE conversion of Qinshan units Candu Energy work scope is complete Minor fuel plant modifications in China in progress Full core fuel manufacturing will commence in 2014 Submission of safety and licensing case to Chinese regulator NNSA completed beginning of December 2013 Regulatory approval expected by middle 2014 NUE fuel full core implementation to commence in late 2014 NU fuel will gradually be replaced by NUE fuel through on-power fuelling over two years 15
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable NUE Fuel Full Core Implementation Project Benefits to China Reduced natural uranium imports Synergistic benefit between Chinese PWR units and CANDU units Four PWRs can feed one CANDU Bring RU and DU back into the fuel cycle RU is much cheaper than natural uranium Fuel cost saving Eliminate RU and DU storage issues and costs Use RU without enrichment costs and in the most efficient manner Ensure lowest cost and simplest fuel manufacturing Use existing CANDU reactors with no change Stepping stone to AFCR fuels and to even better uranium utilization 16
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable NUE Fuel Full Core Implementation Project Success Success of NUE full core implementation project resulted in: Exploration of higher burnup CANDU reactor fuel» Advanced Fuel CANDU Reactor (AFCR) Utilization of indigenous resources» Thorium Recognition by other countries of the benefits of CANDU reactors for alternative fuel cycle use» United Kingdom CANMOX 17
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable Advanced Fuel CANDU Reactor (AFCR) Candu Energy and partners jointly showed that the CANDU 6 reactor design can efficiently use high burnup RU and LEU-Th fuel with minimal changes Minor reactor design changes were identified/detailed and feasibility of changes were verified for use of RU and LEU-Th fuel 18
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable Advanced Fuel CANDU Reactor (AFCR) Expert Panel Review Independent Chinese expert panels reviewed results and defined the proposed new build concept to be practical and feasible All experts unanimously recommended that China shall build two more CANDU Heavy Water Reactor units to utilize various advantages of this type of fuel i.e., Thorium Currently detailed conceptual design of the Advanced Fuel CANDU Reactor (AFCR TM ), in agreement and jointly with Chinese partners, is in full progress. 19
CANDU Fuel - Economy and Uranium Savings Significantly improves uranium utilization gas mileage up to 76%, implementable in the short term AFCR LEU-Th 20
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable CANDU reactor approach to higher utilization of recycled uranium and thorium fuels - AFCR 21 AFCR = Generation III Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6) reactor optimized for alternative fuels (RU and thorium), adopts EC6 elements unaffected by fuel change Recycled Uranium Fuel (reactor to be started with this fuel) ~ 10 MWd/kgHE No enrichment required, direct use of RU 0.95 wt% fissile content Proven 43-element CANFLEX fuel bundle Logical next step to NUE fuel LEU-Th fuel 20 MWd/kgHE CANFLEX fuel bundle 8 centre elements contain Th Commercial verification tests in AFCR AFCR converted to LEU-Th as per owner requirements Lowest risk approach
Enhanced CANDU 6 & AFCR Product Overview EC6 represents a low risk new-build option Based upon the proven reference C6 reactor design: Qinshan Phase III, China Minimal and essential changes to the reference C6 reactor design basis driven by: Full compliance with Canadian regulatory requirements including Fukushima-related lessons-learned Meet or exceed Generation III nuclear power plant expectations Incorporate feedback from operating reactors Retain the benefits of the proven existing CANDU 6 safety case AFCR design is based on the generic EC6 design: Appropriate design changes to the reactor core, fuel, fuel path and licensing case to cater for alternative fuel cycles Adaptation to country-specific regulatory requirements 22
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable AFCR Program Update Joint 24 month CNNC and Candu Energy Project Project ~80% complete 100% completion in early 2014 Product description and conceptual design complete Detailed conceptual design in progress Reactor designed for high burnup RU and LEU-Th use Reactor to be started with high burnup RU fuel Reactor to be used for test irradiation of LEU-Th fuel Reactor converted to LEU-Th as per customer timelines Changes limited to areas impacted by Fuel, Physics and Safety Other areas, EC6 based Design frozen in stages, starting from the core and the HTS Pre-project engineering stage expected to start in 2014 Major and differentiating opportunity for CANDU reactor new build 23
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable AFCR Conclusions CANDU reactor is a proven commercial technology characterized by inherent safety features, high fuel efficiency and fuel flexibility NUE project is a logical, low risk stepping stone to AFCR and advanced fuel cycles in CANDU reactors AFCR is an efficient burner for recovered uranium from spent PWR fuel, a practical and feasible partner to China s PWR program AFCR is a Generation III, post Fukushima compliant, EC6 based reactor AFCR is a good basis to start using China s abundant thorium resources, ready for the market in the near term Candu Energy and its ownership by the SNC-Lavalin group introduces additional strength to CANDU global reactor business 24
NUE and AFCR Progress and Timelines 11
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable CANDU reactor approach to indigenous resource use Thorium fuels Developing the AFCR in order to use indigenous resources Thorium Ensure an independent, sustainable resource for energy generation Further development will be done to approach a closed fuel cycle Plutonium - Thorium 26
CANDU Reactors: Fuel Adaptable CANDU reactor approach to plutonium disposition - CANMOX EC6 being reviewed by Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to dispose of plutonium (Pu) stockpile CANDU reactor s fuel flexibility allows plutonium mixed oxide fuel (MOX) to be used as fuel to generate electricity Feasibility study for NDA complete; Candu now further developing CANMOX proposal with UK stakeholders 27
CANDU Fuel Cycle Flexibility 28
What Next? Continue recycled uranium and thorium initiatives with China Progressing towards closing the nuclear fuel cycle 29
Thank You