The ADTRTM Power Station
Presentation to UNTF2011
12 April 2011
Victoria Ashley, Project Manager
Roger Ashworth, Technical Manager
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Agenda
08/04/2015

Introduction to Jacobs

The ADTRTM Technology

The ADTRTM Business Case

Conclusions
Slide 2
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
An introduction to Jacobs
08/04/2015

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is one of the world’s largest and most diverse
providers of professional technical services

2010 revenues of nearly $10 billion

Support to industrial, commercial, and government clients across multiple
markets

We provide a range of engineering, construction, operation, and maintenance
services for advanced research facilities, including fusion and fission energy,
nanoscale materials, high-powered lasers and x-rays in the US, Europe, UK

SNS is an accelerator-based neutron
source in Oak Ridge National Lab. This
one-of-a-kind facility provides the most
intense pulsed neutron beams in the
world for scientific research and
industrial development.
Slide 3
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Agenda
08/04/2015

Introduction to Jacobs

The ADTRTM Technology

The ADTRTM Business Case

Conclusions
Slide 4
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Why nuclear?
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World population is growing by approx 1.6% annually
Energy usage is increasing by approx 2% annually
Decreasing supply of fossil fuels
Issues of climate change
Alternative energy sources needed
Nuclear safety and waste issues need to be addressed
Based on WNA Nuclear Century Outlook Data June 2010
08/04/2015
Slide 5
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Why thorium?
To continuously generate annual power output of 1GW requires:
3,500,000 tonnes of coal
200 tonnes of Uranium
1 tonne of Thorium
Significant impact upon the
Environment
Low CO2 impact
Low CO2 impact
but challenges with
reprocessing
Can consume Plutonium
and radioactive waste
and very long-term
storage of hazardous
wastes
Reduced quantity and much
shorter duration for storage
of hazardous wastes
especially CO2 emissions
In principle, total annual global energy needs could be
provided by 5000 tonnes of thorium (Ref. ThorEA report)
08/04/2015
Slide 6
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Estimated World Thorium Resources
Country
Tonnes
% of world
1. Australia
452 000
18
2. USA
400 000
15
3. Turkey
344 000
13
4. India
319 000
12
5. Brazil
302 000
12
6. Venezuela
300 000
12
7. Norway
132 000
5
8. Egypt
100 000
4
9. Russia
75 000
3
10. Greenland
54 000
2
11. Canada
44 000
2
12. South Africa
18 000
1
Other countries
33 000
1
2 573 000
100
World total
08/04/2015
Slide 7
Source: OECD/NEA Uranium 2007:
Resources, Production and Demand
(Red Book) 2008
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Project Background
• Norway No. 7 in estimated world thorium reserves, Aker Solutions
investigated potential for utilising thorium
• Collaboration with Professor Carlo Rubbia to commercially develop his
original Energy Amplifier concept, EA patent ownership
• Feasibility Study from Jan 2008, £m’s internal investment
Project Objectives
1. Establish technical feasibility of the
design
2. Apply established technology
3. Develop and protect IP rights
4. Align with Gen IV strategy
5. Develop the business case for
thorium power
6. Establish a consortium with suitable
partners
08/04/2015
Slide 8
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Development from Energy Amplifier to ADTR™
EA
Energy
Amplifier
 K-effective 0.98
 12-48MW accelerator power output
 Reactivity uncontrolled (No control
rods) - larger sub-critical margin
 Coolant circulation by natural
convection
ADTRTM
Source CERN 95/44
 K-effective 0.995
 3MW accelerator power output
 Reactivity controlled by enriched
boron10 control rods
 Coolant circulated by axial flow
pumps
 Heat exchangers separate from
main vessel
Slide 9
ADTRTM
ADTRTM COMPLEX
Passive Air Cooling
System Stack
Beam
Transport
Accelerator
Refuelling machine
Steam collection tank
Heat Exchangers
& Coolant Pumps
•1500MW(Th)/600MW(e)
•59te MOX fuel, 10 year refuelling
•Vessel dimensions 9.5m diameter, 20m high
•Molten lead coolant and spallation target
Nuclear Core
•Decay heat removed by natural convection on shutdown
•System operates at atmospheric pressure
08/04/2015
Slide 10
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Coolant

 Sodium
Lead
 Negative temp & void coefficient of reactivity  Positive void coefficient of reactivity
 MP 98ºC BP 883ºC
 MP 327ºC BP 1748ºC
 Intermediate cooling loop required
 Intermediate cooling loop not required
 Chemically reactive
 Chemically un-reactive – no fire risk
 Pressure vessel
 Operate at atmospheric pressure
 High pumping power as high specific gravity  Low pumping power as low specific
gravity
 High thermal heat sink
 Not suitable for spallation target
 Also acts as spallation target
 Less corrosive with steel
 Corrosive with steel
 No hydrogen generation
 No hydrogen generation
08/04/2015
Slide 11
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Conversion of Fertile Thorium to Fissile Uranium
• Thorium fuel requires fissionable
starter material
• Plutonium
+
Th232
n1
Th233
β
• Minor Actinides
• Plutonium selected for
mixed oxide fuel
(22.3 min)
ADTRTM
• 84.5%Th
β
• 15.5%Pu
Pa233
(27 d)
• Fertile Th232 breeds fissile U233
Fission
Fragment
• Could burn waste actinides from
conventional reactors
+
U233
n1
Slide 12
n1
n1
• No need for fuel enrichment
08/04/2015
n1
Fission
Fragment
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Fuel Cycle – Tendency to Equilibrium (11 cycles)
•Self-sustained fuel
cycle possible
•Over a 10 year fuel
cycle
• Plutonium is burnt
• U233 is produced
•Delivers balanced
criticality
• as much fissile
material produced
as is destroyed
08/04/2015
Slide 13
All Pu
All U
U233
Pa233
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Reactor Control – First fuel cycle (10 year operation)
Reactivity vs Fuel Burn Up
0.035
Raw Reactivity
Plot
0.03
0.025
Reactivity
0.02
0.015
Control
Rods
0.01
Control
Rods
0.005
Fuel Burn Up GW day/ton
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
-0.005
Controlled Reactivity keff = 0.995
-0.01
•
•
•
•
08/04/2015
Raw reactivity swing compensated by control rods
Power output adjusted by accelerator
Load following possible – useful for small grid systems
Developed method of measuring Keffective - filed as patent
Slide 14
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Accelerator
Benchmarking against Generation IV Goals
•
•
•
•
Sustainability
•
•
•
•
Economics
08/04/2015
Thorium is 3-5 times more abundant than Uranium
Thorium is by-product from rare earth mining
Minor actinides from a thorium reactor less than from a PWR
Can be configured as a minor actinide ‘burner’ reducing long term waste
burden
ADTRTM consumes ~50% of its Plutonium starter over 10 year cycle
One ADTRTM can consume Pu from approx 1.5 PWRs
Gaseous emissions equivalent to conventional advanced systems
Low carbon emissions
• Thorium fuel is cheaper than Uranium fuel
• Lead shielding reduces neutron embrittlement & extends reactor
vessel lifespan
• 10 year refuelling time increases system availability to >95%
• Operation at atmospheric pressure means cost savings on
containment vessel
• Reduced fuel handling requirement leading to reduced operational
expenditure
• Replaceable reactor components reduces the risk to capital
Slide 15
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Benchmarking against Generation IV Goals
Proliferation
Resistance
Safety &
Reliability
08/04/2015
•
•
•
•
10 year sealed core reduces opportunities for fuel interception
The ADTRTM is a net consumer of Plutonium
Hard gamma U232 daughter products prevent manual handling
No requirement for enrichment technology
• Design is for inherent safety, i.e.
• Sub-critical operation increases margins to prompt criticality
• Virtually instantaneous reduction in power achieved by
accelerator shut-off
• Primary system operates at atmospheric pressure
• Maximum credible accident results in self-limitation of reaction
• Reactor below ground enhancing physical protection
• Coolant chemically unreactive and provides large heat sink
Slide 16
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Agenda
08/04/2015

Introduction to Jacobs

The ADTRTM Technology

The ADTRTM Business Case

Conclusions
Slide 17
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Programme aligns with GenIV timescales
 Aim to build first commercial 600MW(e) reactor by 2030
 Capital cost per KW equivalent to current reactors
 Further reduced costs due to:
 Long refuelling time therefore lower operational costs
 Use of thorium fuel requires no enrichment
Technical &
commercially viable
No significant
Concept &
Development Issues
2 years
Feasibility
Study
Regulators
Endorsement
of Site and Design
Licenses issued
5 years
Completion Date
Concept
design &
development
5 years
System
definition, Plant
design & Safety
Case
3 years
Pre-licensing &
site selection
7 years
Construction &
Completion
Detailed design
& fabrication
2008
08/04/2015
2010
2015
Slide 18
2020
2025
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
2030
Market Analysis - Types of countries
1. Large countries with nuclear
power, but with significant
energy demand growth
 Ideally the first ADTRTM
demonstration plant should be in a
country with established nuclear
infrastructure
2. Countries with no existing
nuclear infrastructure and
recent aspirations to gain
benefits of nuclear power
 Its inherent safety and nonproliferation strengths could make
the ADTRTM attractive to countries
requiring energy with minimum
infrastructure and maximum safety
3. Smaller countries less
demand on grid system
 Benefits of load following and
600MW size, the ADTRTM fits market
gap between small modular systems
<300MWe and conventional reactors
>1000MWe
08/04/2015
Slide 19
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Agenda

Introduction to Aker Solutions

The ADTRTM Project and Business Case

The ADTRTM Technology

Conclusions
ADTR Concept Study
08/04/2015
Slide 20
Slide 20
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Conclusions
Aker Solutions truly believes in the potential of the ADTRTM technology
because:
1. Technically feasible
•
•
Challenged assumptions for confidence in design
Transmutation with load following power generation
2. Applying established technology
•
Reduced commercial risk
3. Developing IP
•
•
•
EA patent
Keffective patent
Other unique design aspects identified
4. Align with GenIV strategy
•
Meets GenIV goals and timescales
5. Develop the business case for thorium power
•
•
Financial potential - Capital cost per KW equivalent to current reactors
Market potential - Niche for size and power producing waste burner
6. Establish consortium with suitable partners
•
08/04/2015
Now engaging with potential partners to further develop this exciting technology
Slide 21
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
The ADTRTM Team
Roger Ashworth
Technical Manager
Victoria Ashley
Project Manager
E-mail: victoria.ashley@jacobs.com
Tel: 01642 334072
Mobile: 07925 113388
E-mail: roger.ashworth@jacobs.com
Tel: 01642 334061
Mobile: 07833 295500
www.jacobs.com
08/04/2015
Slide 22
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright
Copyright of all published material including photographs, drawings and images in this document remains vested
in Jacobs and third party contributors as appropriate. Accordingly, neither the whole nor any part of this document
shall be reproduced in any form nor used in any manner without express prior permission and applicable
acknowledgements. No trademark, copyright or other notice shall be altered or removed from any reproduction.
08/04/2015
Slide 23
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
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08/04/2015
Slide 24
© Copyright 2011, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. All rights reserved.