Current IssuesDOE's Nuclear Energy Programs

Dr. Peter LyonsAssistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy

U.S. Department of Energy

SFANSParis, France

September 23, 2013

2

Nuclear EnergyPlays an Important Role in US Energy Supply

Nuclear power is a clean, reliable base load energy source

Provides 19% of U.S. electricity generation mix

Provides 61% of U.S. emission-free electricity

Avoids about 700 MMTCO2 each year

Helps reduces overall NOx and SOx levels

U.S. electricity demand projected to increase ~28% by 2040 from 2011 levels

100 GWe nuclear capacity - 100 operating plants

Fleet maintaining close to 90% average capacity factors

Most expected to apply for license renewal for 60 years of operation.

Nuclear19%

Electricity Production, 2012

Total: 4,054,485 GWh

Nuclear61%

Conven. Hydro22%

Wind11%

Solar0%

Geo-thermal

1%Biomass

5%

Net Non-Carbon Emitting Sources of Electricity, 2012

Source: Energy Information Administration

3

President Obama’s Nuclear Energy Goals

"We have an obligation to leave our children a planet that’s not polluted or damaged, and by taking steady, responsible steps to cut carbon pollution and an all-of-the-above approach to develop homegrown energy …

Thanks to the ingenuity of our businesses, we're starting to produce much more of our own energy. We're building the first nuclear power plants in more than three decades in Georgia and South Carolina.“ - Georgetown University June 26th, 2013

4

Secretary of Energy, Dr. Ernest Monizconfirmed on May 16, 2013

Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems at MIT and founding Director of the MIT Energy Initiative and of the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment

Under Secretary of the Department of Energy (1997 to 2001)

Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President (1995-1997)

Served on the President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology; the Department of Defense Threat Reduction Advisory Committee; the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future; and the Council on Foreign Relations

Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Humboldt Foundation, and the American Physical Society.

Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude in Physics from Boston College, Doctorate in Theoretical Physics from Stanford University

5

“I believe small modular reactors could represent the next generation of nuclear energy technology, providing a strong opportunity for America to lead this emerging global industry.”

Secretary Moniz on Nuclear Energy

“We are committed to fostering the safe and secure contribution of nuclear power to the global energy mix.” IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security – July 1, 2013

U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resource Confirmation Hearing

April 9, 2013

6

Key Areas of Focus

Small Modular Reactors

Progress on Back End of Fuel Cycle

Fukushima Dai-ichi accident response and research impacts

7

Why are SMR technologiesof interest to DOE?

Safety Benefits

Passive decay heat removal by natural circulation

Smaller source term inventory

Simplified design eliminates/mitigates several postulated accidents

Below grade reactor siting

Potential for reduction in Emergency Planning Zone

Economic Benefits

Reduced financial risk

Flexibility to add units

Right size for replacement of old coal plants

Use domestic forgings and manufacturing

Job creation

NE working definition of SMRs: reactor units with a nominal output of 300 MWe or less and are able to have large components or modules fabricated remotely and transported to

the site for assembly of components and operation.

8

SMR Licensing TechnicalSupport Program

Supports first phase for deployment

Facilitates and accelerates commercial development and deployment of near term U.S. SMR designs at domestic locations

$452 M in cost-share program over 6 years• FY12 funding is $67M and FY14 request is $70M

DOE has selected one award under the first SMR funding opportunity announcement (FOA) – Babcock and Wilcox mPower Design selected

DOE issued a second FOA that places more emphasis on innovation in improved safety attributes and further reduces regulatory risk for some of the SMR technologies through:

lower core damage frequencies longer post-accident coping periods enhanced resistance to natural phenomena potentially smaller emergency preparedness zones smaller workforce requirements

** Both the 1st and 2nd funding opportunities will be funded out of the $452M program**

9

Babcock and Wilcox (B&W) Selected for First SMR Award

The Department has selected Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Bechtel, to receive the first award under the SMR Licensing Technical Support Program.

The mPower SMR design is technically well-conceived with a viable path to certification and licensing that has been worked aggressively with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over several years leading to this selection.

~180 MWe

Utilizes standard UO2 LWR fuel

Up to 4 year refueling interval

Provides air-cooled condenser option

10

Blue Ribbon CommissionRecommendations

1. A new, consent-based approach to siting future nuclear waste management facilities.

2. A new organization dedicated solely to implementing the waste management program and empowered with the authority and resources to succeed.

3. Access to the funds nuclear utility ratepayers are providing for the purpose of nuclear waste management.

4. Prompt efforts to develop one or more geologic disposal facilities.

5. Prompt efforts to develop one or more consolidated storage facilities.

6. Prompt efforts to prepare for the eventual large-scale transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste to consolidated storage and disposal facilities when such facilities become available.

7. Support for continued U.S. innovation in nuclear energy technology and for workforce development.

8. Active U.S. leadership in international efforts to address safety, waste management, non-proliferation, and security concerns.

11

Key Elements of Administration Strategy

12

Congressional Activity

Senators Wyden, Murkowski, Feinstein, and Alexander introduced

comprehensive nuclear waste legislation – Nuclear Waste Administration

Act of 2013 (S. 1240)

Establishes a siting process for storage and repository facilities that relies on

consent agreements and Congressional ratification

Establishes a new organization – Nuclear Waste Administration – run by a single

Administrator and overseen by an Oversight Board

Addresses funding reform by creating a new Working Capital Fund in which fees

are deposited and are available as needed

Path to passage is difficult to predict

Court cases still pending

Some factions in Congress ready to “move on” from Yucca Mountain, while

others not

13

Analysis of Fukushima Event Using MELCOR

Objectives of Study

Collect, verify, and document data on the accidents

Reconstruct the accidents and their progression using MELCOR

Validate the models and analyses

Participants were Sandia National Laboratories, Idaho National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Sponsors were DOE and NRC

Collaborators

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

Institute of Nuclear Power Operators (INPO)

Preliminary results encouraging in terms of capturing essential accident signatures/trends

14

Fukushima Dai-ichi Next Steps

OECD/NEA Fukushima Benchmarking Project

Recently initiated a Fukushima Dai-ichi analysis and benchmarking project that DOE and NRC support

Results of this effort could guide defueling of Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant

NEA effort expected to last about a year and is expected to:

Improve understanding of accident progression;

Enable comparison and improvement of various models and their methodology; and

Assist in decommissioning planning by evaluating current internal status, including distribution of fuel debris.

As part of Phase 2, DOE will work with Japan and international community to develop plan for such data collection during defueling

DOE R&D Program

DOE is committed to apply lessons learned from Fukushima to develop even safer nuclear plants

R&D to make reactors more accident tolerant initiated:

– Fuel, Instrumentation and Controls, Batteries

15

High temperatureduring loss of active

cooling

Slower Hydrogen Generation Rate• Hydrogen bubble• Hydrogen explosion• Hydrogen embrittlement of the clad

Improved Cladding Properties

• Clad fracture• Geometric stability • Thermal shock resistance• Melting of the cladding

Improved Fuel Properties • Lower operating temperatures• Clad internal oxidation• Fuel relocation / dispersion• Fuel melting

Enhanced Retention of Fission Products• Gaseous fission products• Solid/liquid fission products

Improved Reaction Kinetics with Steam• Heat of oxidation• Oxidation rate

Behaviors of Accident Tolerant Fuels &Fuel and Cladding at High Temperatures

16

Materials With Slower Oxidation KineticsOffer Larger Margins of Safety

• Materials with slower oxidation kinetics in steam (~ 2 orders of magnitude or less) delay rapid cladding degradation

Fuel exposed after 24hrs of cooling

Relative to Zr oxidation kinetics

*Slide provided by Oak Ridge National Lab*

17

Nuclear Energy University Programs

The Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP) and the Integrated University Program (IUP) have a well established competitive process for awarding R&D, infrastructure and scholarships/fellowships.

The Office of Science and Technology Innovation will continue implementing this competitive process and will expand to incorporate it into all competitive research. Since FY09, NEUP has awarded

$238M to 83 schools in 34 States

and the District of Columbia.

The NE R&D Programs are the cognizant technical managers of these competitive R&D awards and therefore play in integral role in the success of each project.

Universities and Industry are strongly encouraged to actively engage and collaborate with the associated NE R&D programs.

10

UA

ASU

U of A

UC, IrvineCSULB

UCLAUCSB

UC, Berkeley

UC, Davis

CU

CSM

CSU

GW

UFL

GIT

ISUBSU

U of I

MC

U of I

IIT

NU

Purdue

ND

KSUUK

BU

UML

UMD

JHU

UMN

U-M

MST

MU

MSU

ASU

NCSU

UNC-CHUNM

UNLV

UNR

AU

CCNYHunter College

RPI

SU

SUNY, Stony Brook

MIT

CSU CWRU

OSU

WUUC

OSU

PSU

PittDrexel

URI

CUFMU

SCSU MTCUSC

UTK

UT, AustinTexas A&M

UH

UT, Dallas

UT, Arlington

USU

UU

VT

VCU

UW

WSUCBC

LTC

UW-Madison

SDSU Rochester

Dartmouth

UTPB

VU

18

Integrated Research Projects

2013: Simulation of Neutron Damage for High Dose Exposure of Advanced Reactor Materials Award Announcement Pending (September 2013)

Previous IRP Awards:

2012: Inherently Safe ReactorsGeorgia Institute of Technology – Integral Inherently Safe Light Water Reactor - (Italy, UK)

2012: Accident Tolerant Fuels Univ. of Tennessee – Advanced Accident-Tolerant Ceramic Coatings for Zr-Alloy Cladding (Australia, UK)

2012: Accident Tolerant FuelsUniv. of Illinois, Urbana Champaign – Engineered Zircaloy Cladding Modifications for Improved Accident Tolerance of LWR Nuclear Fuel - (UK)

2011: Accelerated Aging of Used Nuclear Fuel in StorageTexas A&M University Fuel Aging in Storage and Transportation: Accelerated Characterization and Performance Assessment of the Used Nuclear Fuel Storage System

2011: Advanced Thermal Reactor Concepts Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyHigh-Temperature Salt-Cooled Reactor for Power and Process Heat

19

Sanmen – June 2013Source: SNPTC

Vogtle – August 2013Source: Georgia Power Co.

Summer – June 2013Source: SCE&G

Global Demand for Nuclear Energy Continues

Haiyang – June 2013Source: State Nuclear Power Engineering Feng Qingyi

Wang Jinjie.

20

Global Energy Distribution

as indicated by nighttime electricity use