October 15, 2010
We don’t want to be like Calvin !
Most people think that nuclear only comes in one size - GIGANTIC -
Other options exist
Hyperion
USA
Toshiba 4S
Japan
NuScale
USA
SMART
Small Modular Adaptable Reactor Technology:
Turbogenerator
Steam Heat
Steam Generator
Reactor Module
Condenser
Why a Canadian Design?
Foreign alternatives are unsuited to Canadian conditions
Hyperion
USA
25 MWe
Toshiba 4S
Japan
10 – 60 MWe
NuScale
USA
45 MWe
•All of these reactors are at least an order of magnitude too large for most
Canadian applications;
•Hyperion and Toshiba 4S use experimental “fast” reactor technology;
A SMART Canadian solution
Small Modular Adaptable Reactor Technology:
Turbogenerator
Steam Heat
Steam Generator
Reactor Module
Condenser
The unique Canadian market
Resource
Extraction
National Defense
Northern
Communities
Daivik Diamond Mine - NWT
210 km north of the Arctic Circle
Economic and social development are negatively impacted by unpredictable
high electricity costs. The supply of reliable low cost electricity is central to
economic development.
Diavik Diamond Mine
Power plant 34 MWe
Daivik Diamond Mine - NWT
210 km north of the Arctic Circle
Fuel Storage
110 million litres
Lack of affordable power
impacting mine development
• 22 MWe required at the mine site
Annual production 114,000 MWh (30m litres diesel)
• 22 MWe required at the port
Annual production 120,000 MWh (31.6m litres diesel
Low Energy Costs are the key
to resource development
Cutting down on operating costs at the diamond mines by reducing
consumption of fuel is key to ensuring they live past 2025.
"If we can lower the costs, and obviously power costs, that mine would be
around by 2040," Chantal Lavois COO De Beers speaking of the Ekati diamond mine
“There are lots of resources up there, but a lot of those are not currently on mine
plans because of operating costs. And that’s mainly linked to energy cost. Once
you’ve solved that, you’ve got diamond mines for the next 50 years easily”
Ricus Grimbeek, former president of Ekati diamond mine
Ekati employs 1442 people of which 865 are northerners and 793 are aboriginal
Other Considerations
Major refiners have stated that due to
refinery limitations and the relatively small
market for ultra low sulphur diesel fuel with
a -400 pour point, supplies of fuel can not
be guaranteed.
Don Dean, Prolog Canada Inc.
The Nunavut Example
Population
Area
Communities
Electrical generation
31,000
2,093,190 sq. km (twice the size of Ontario)
25
27 plants, 92 diesel engines
Electricity 40,000,000 litres
Heating
60,000,000 litres
Over 100,000,000 litres of diesel fuel
280,000 t CO2
Fuel logistics are expensive, complex and not without risk
“There has been a significant
number of fossil-fuel spills in
Nunavut and these appear to
be increasing with time”
Ikummatiit Report, Government of Nunavut energy strategy document
9.5 million litres grounded near Gjoa Haven (2010)
Communities
 Fuel subsidies consume approximately 20% of entire Nunavut budget
“Simply stated, Nunavut needs to wean itself off oil”
Ikummatiit Report, Government of Nunavut energy strategy document
“One of the key objectives… is to find alternatives to diesel fuel for
electricity generation”
Ikummatiit Report, Government of Nunavut energy strategy document
“Iqaluit should be a prime target for projects to
reduce consumption and find some source of
energy other than diesel fuel.” Ikuma II Report
CFS Alert
•Annual diesel (JP-8) consumption - about 2,500,000 litres
•Price per litre - $5
•Annual power generated - about 7.6 million kWh @ $1.40+/kWh
•7,000 t C02/yr
Why Nuclear Energy?
SMART
Energy System
 Power output from 500kWe to 10MWe or 2 to 40MWt
 Up to 20 full power years between refuelling
 Produces electricity, steam and hot water
 Reliable and proven nuclear and steam technologies
One SMART nuclear battery will displace over 38 million litres of
diesel and prevent the release of over 106 million kg of CO2
Natural Gas Combustion
CH4
Natural Gas Combustion
CH4 + O2
Natural Gas Combustion
CH4 + O2
Natural Gas Combustion
CH4 + O2
= CO2 + H2O
Natural Gas Combustion
CH4 + O2
= CO2 + H2O
ENERGY
Nuclear fission
Uranium
235
“Slow”
Neutron
“Fast”
Neutrons
<1 eV
~103 m/s
Heat
Fission
Products
>1 MeV
~107 m/s
Energy released per atom
Chemical Reaction
3
Energy released per atom
Chemical Reaction
Nuclear Reaction
3
200,000,000
Is nuclear energy safe?
Is nuclear energy safe?
Yes
Who regulates nuclear energy in Canada?
http://www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca/eng/
“The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC)
protects the health, safety and security of Canadians
as well as the environment, and respects Canada's
international commitments on the peaceful use of
nuclear energy.” opening paragraph of CNSC website
Technical specifications
 Small, secure below ground installation
 Sealed core with ultra safe TRIGA® low enriched uranium fuel
 Passive shutdown cooling
 Reliable and proven nuclear and steam technologies
One SMART nuclear battery will displace over 38 million litres of
diesel and prevent the release of over 106 million kg of CO2
What about the nuclear waste?
Technical specifications
 Sealed core with ultra safe TRIGA® low enriched uranium fuel
 No on-site fuel or waste storage
One SMART nuclear battery will displace over 38 million litres of
diesel and prevent the release of over 106 million kg of CO2
Who regulates nuclear waste in Canada?
http://www.nwmo.ca/
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization
(NWMO) was established in 2002 in accordance with
the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act to assume responsibility
for long-term management of Canada's used nuclear
fuel. (Opening paragraph of NWMO website)
GASOLINE
KEROSENE
Crude Oil
GASOLINE
KEROSENE
DIESEL
HEATING OIL
ASPHALT
Crude Oil
GASOLINE
KEROSENE
DIESEL
HEATING OIL
ASPHALT
Crude Oil
0.7% U235
99.3% U238
Natural Uranium
0.7% U235
99.3% U238
Pickering – thermal reactor
Natural Uranium
EBR-2 – fast reactor
Approximately 99% of the “waste”
from spent uranium fuel is valuable
uranium 238, which can be
recycled back into fresh fuel for fast reactors. This is
one reason why spent fuel is stored for later use
rather than buried irretrievably.
What about emissions and the environment?
Technical specifications
Nuclear power plants are essentially zero emissions
 No SOx, NOx, VOCs or GHGs
Mining executives have stated that eliminating diesel
power generation would significantly reduce the
requirement for all weather roads.
If small nuclear power is such an obvious
solution, why hasn’t it been done before?
It has!
..
Welcome to Bilibino – Siberia – Russia - 680 north
Powered by four 12 MWe nuclear reactors
Bilibino, Pop. 4,500
Gold Mine
Nuclear Power Plant
Nuclear Heated Green House
Galena
June 30, 2009,
Big Alaska Looks to Small Nuclear
By STEFAN MILKOWSKI
New York Times
Broad support for small nuclear
“What impressed me… was his
plan to use small reactors to
power Saskatchewan’s potash
and oil sands industries.”
January 11, 2010
Mr. Peter Lang, President
Dunedin Energy Systems Ltd.
Small Reactors for Remote Sites
Dear Peter:
I want to thank you and Michael Badham for your December 17 presentation
on small nuclear reactors for remote communities and industrial sites. The
group of about 18 scientists and administrators was very enthusiastic about
the possibility of developing a clean, scalable power source for our unique
situations in northern Canada.
April 27,2010
Small Modular Adaptable Reactor Technology SMART… would be
an elegant solution to the issue of finding a cost effective and
reliable future supply of electricity for remote resource extraction
sites, military installations and isolated communities.
Mike Vaydik, General Manager
Robin Goad, President, CEO
“I can‘t promise anything, but I will promote it as much as possible”.
DND official for Nanisivik Deep Water Port Facility referring to Dunedin Energy
SMART nuclear energy system
“Nunavut must reduce it’s dependency on fossil fuels, a dependency that holds Nunavut hostage to volatile,
world oil prices and makes us one of the largest per-person greenhouse gas producers in Canada.”
“Simply stated, Nunavut needs to wean itself off oil”
Ikummatiit Report
Summary
1. Energy is the master resource. It is essential to our
standard of living and makes access to all other
resources possible
Summary
1. Energy is the master resource. It is essential to our
standard of living and makes access to all other
resources possible
2. Status quo methods of producing electricity and
heat will not support sustainable development in
the north
Summary
1. Energy is the master resource. It is essential to our
standard of living and makes access to all other
resources possible
2. Status quo methods of producing electricity and
heat will not support sustainable development in
the north
3. Small, modular, nuclear batteries can provide a
safe, reliable, clean and cost effective part of the
energy solution
Summary
1. Energy is the master resource. It is essential to our
standard of living and makes access to all other
resources possible
2. Status quo methods of producing electricity and
heat will not support sustainable development in
the north
3. Small, modular, nuclear batteries can provide a
safe, reliable, clean and cost effective part of the
energy solution