The Future of Nuclear Energy
Brian Toren
Glossary of Terminology
Fission – Split Into Two Parts, Creates Radioactive Waste
Fusion – Combine Two (or more) Parts, Little Radioactive Waste
Fission/Fusion Video
Pebble Bed Reactor - small pebble size fuel bits
Aneutronic Reactor – Fewer Neutrons, Less Radioactive Waste
Reshuffling - Replacing old cores with new and rearranging
Nuclear Reactor Generations –Acronym List on Page 33
Generation I Reactors – Early Prototype Generators E. G. Hanford Wash
Generation II Reactors – Commercial LWRs includes ABWR, EPR, AP600 System 80 +
Generation IV Reactors – High Temperature, Liquid Salt Pebble Bed, SMRs
Generation V Reactors - theoretically Power Reactors includes LWP. PWR, BWR, CANDU
Generation III Reactors – Advanced possible
Breeder Reactors - Excess Neutrons Breeds Radioactive Fuel
Thorium Reactors – Reactors using Thorium as a fuel
Molten Salt Reactors Reactors using Molten salt as a coolant
Tokomak - Magnetic Containment Reactor
Inertial Confinement (laser) Reactors (ICR)
National Ignition Facility ICR facility at Livermore
Pressure Containment Spheromak Contains Video
Cold – Never Proven
Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR)
Thermal Reactors
Fast Reactors
Breeder Reactor
A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor capable of generating more fissile
material than it consumes[1] because its neutron economy is high enough
to breed fissile fuel from fertile material like uranium-238 or thorium-232.
In more recent decades, breeder reactors are again of research interest as
a means of controlling nuclear waste and closing the nuclear fuel cycle.
Fast breeder reactor or FBR uses fast (unmoderated) neutrons to breed
fissile plutonium and possibly higher transuranics from fertile uranium-238.
Thermal breeder reactor use thermal spectrum (moderated) neutrons to
breed fissile uranium-233 from thorium (thorium fuel cycle). Due to the
behavior of the various nuclear fuels, a thermal breeder is thought
commercially feasible only with thorium fuel, which avoids the buildup of
the heavier transuranics
Thorium Fueled Reactor
The thorium fuel cycle is a nuclear fuel cycle that uses the naturally
abundant isotope of thorium, 232Th, as the fertile material. In the reactor,
232Th is transmuted into the fissile artificial uranium isotope 233U which
is the nuclear fuel. Unlike natural uranium, natural thorium contains only
trace amounts of fissile material (such as 231Th), which are insufficient to
initiate a nuclear chain reaction. Additional fissile material or another
neutron source are necessary to initiate the fuel cycle.
In a thorium-fueled reactor, 232Th absorbs neutrons eventually to
produce 233U.
This parallels the process in uranium breeder reactors whereby fertile
238U absorbs neutrons to form fissile 239Pu. The used nuclear fuel is
formed into new nuclear fuel.
Thorium Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
(1)thorium's greater abundance,
(2)superior physical and nuclear properties,
(3)better resistance to nuclear weapons proliferation[1][2][3]
(4)reduced plutonium and actinide production.[3]
Disadvanages
(1) Startup fuel. Require a considerable amount of U-233 for the initial
start up. Currently there is very little of this material available.
(2) Salts freezing. The fluoride salt mixtures have high melting points, of
300 to over 600 degrees Celsius.
(3) Beryllium toxicity. The proposed salt mixture FLiBe, contains large
amounts of beryllium, a poisonous element
(3) Radiation. primary fuel salt will produce highly radioactive fission
products that produce a high gamma and neutron radiation field.
(4) Waste management – Radioactive waste less suited long term storage
form
Molten Salt Reactor
Primary coolant, or even the fuel itself, is a molten salt mixture.
MSRs run at higher temperatures than water-cooled reactors
The nuclear fuel may be solid or dissolved in the coolant itself.
The fluid becomes critical in a graphite core.
Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (1965–1969) was a
prototype for a thorium fuel cycle breeder reactor nuclear power
plant.
One Generation IV reactor design is a molten salt-cooled, solidfuel reactor initial reference design is 1000 MW
Generation 4 Reactors
Theoretical nuclear reactor designs currently being researched
Focus is on the six most promising technologies
Three systems are nominally thermal reactors
Thermal Reactors use slow or or thermal neutrons
In a thermal reactor a neutron moderator is used to slow the
neutrons, These are more likely to be captured by the fuel.
.
Three are fast reactors
A fast reactor directly uses the fast neutrons, no moderation. It
requires fuel rich in fissionable material
Both can cooled with gas, sodium, lead and other methods
Pebble Bed Reactor Gen 4 Reactorr
Graphite-Moderated, Gas-Cooled, Nuclear reactor.
The Pebbles Are Spherical Uranium Fuel Elements
Gas Cooled, E.G, Hydrogen Nitrogen or CO2
Passively Safe
No Danger of Releasing Radioactive Gas
Mobile
Small 15Mw Reactor in Germany from 1966 to 1988
China Building Commercial Plant by 2017
Pressure Containment Spheromak
5 Min Video
Pneumatic pistons ramming a metal
sphere create an acoustic wave in
molten metal
The resulting shock wave compresses
a plasma target, called a spheromak, to
trigger a fusion burst
Thermal energy is extracted with a heat
exchanger and creates steam
Process repeated every second to
create continuous power
Demo 24 piston machine in two years
200 piston machine in 4 years
Other General Fusion Projects
By 2020 (Maybe)
Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC )
Beam Fusion Reactor -., fuels that produce little or no
radioactivity.
Magnetized Focus Fusion.
Fusion
Fusion is to be the savior of Nuclear Energy.
Much research is ongoing from building lab models
to building commercial demonstrable sites
Estimated times for commerical operation varies
from 20 to 40 years.
Aneutronic Reactor
Three Min, First Video
Fewer Or No Neutrons
Little or No Radioactive Waste
Plasma requires containment, That’s The Rub
Laser Containment
National Ignition Facility ICR facility at Livermore
Video of Ignition Five Min
Example – Tokomac Magnetic Confinement
Tokamak Video - Six Min
Fusion at the Skunk Works
14 Min, Second Video
Buid on An Assembly Line
Portable
Demo by 2022
Cold Fusion
Chemical Fusion at room temperatures has been
claimed in many experiments, but has never been
duplicated
Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR)
The Strong Force Particle physicists have evidently been correct all
along. "Cold Fusion" is not possible. However, via collective effects/
condensed matter quantum nuclear physics, LENR is allowable without
any "miracles." The theory states that once some energy is added to
surfaces loaded with hydrogen/protons, if the surface morphology
enables high localized voltage gradients, then heavy electrons leading to
ultra low energy neutrons will form-- neutrons that never leave the surface.
The neutrons set up isotope cascades which result in beta decay, heat
and transmutations with the heavy electrons converting the beta decay
gamma into heat. - See more at:
http://futureinnovation.larc.nasa.gov/view/articles/futurism/bushnell/lo
Beta decay releases energy
w-energy-nuclear-reactions.html#sthash.3XTiklpB.dpuf
Lenr status
Reactor Comparison Table
Chart on Page Nine of 70
Summary Video Mark Helpar
19 Minutes Video 3rd on page
Emerging Nuclear Innovations
Triaga, a nuclear reactor designed for teaching purposes.
Accerator- Driven Thorium reactors, high-current, highenergy accelerators or cyclotrons used to produce neutrons
from heavy elements.