The LEADER project, the LFR road map, GIF-LFR activities and 2012-2013 LFR news

Technical Workshop to Review Safety and Design Aspects ofEuropean LFR Demonstrator (ALFRED),

European LFR Industrial Plant (ELFR), andEuropean Lead Cooled Training Reactor (ELECTRA)

Joint Research Centre, Institute for Energy and Transport, Petten, the Netherlands, 27–28 February 2013

Alessandro AlembertiAlessandro.Alemberti@ann.ansaldo.it

SUMMARY

The LEADER project

The European LFR Road Map

LFR GIF Activities

The LFR Global perspective, some important news

A look into the future EU strategic documents

The LEADER Project (EU-FP7)

LEADER project started its activities in 2010 with the main goals to:

• Develop an integrated strategy for the LFR development

• Define a preliminary European LFR Road Map

• Identify main issues for LFR development, develop solutions/way fwd

• Design a new conceptual configuration of the industrial size plant, the ELFR conceptual design as a reference for the large size reactor plant (600 Mwe)

• Design a scaled down reactor, the LFR demonstrator – ALFRED, using solutions as much as possible close to the adopted reference conceptual design of ELFR but considering the essential need to proceed to construction in a short time frame.

LEADER PROJECT STATUS

ELFR conceptual design: A 600 Mwe INDUSTRIAL SIZE REFERENCE CONCEPT Fuel Assemblies based on hexagonal wrapped option, FA support provided,

continuous monitoring for flow blockage, FAs weighted down by Tungsten ballast

Core Bottom grid, lateral restraint for core and shroud Safety system completely based on passive technology

ALFRED conceptual design: “Demonstration reactor has to be realized in the short term relying on the today available technology. As a consequence, while we should try to design a demonstrator as close as possible to the reference industrial size ELFR, we shall switch (where needed) to proven and available solutions” Some components of ALFRED different from the design proposed for ELFR

SGs: double wall straight bayonet tubes, continuous monitoring, permits use of SGs tube bundles as part of DHR system, easy coating and/or surface treatment

Decay Heat Remoal Systems: Based mainly on isolation condenser of ELFR In general other solutions as close as possible to ELFR design

Common features: low core pressure drop (~ 1bar), total pressure drop ~ 1.5 bar, high primary natural circulationSome differences but completely functionally equivalent

Strategic activities of the LEADER Project The LFR Road Map

Current Status of GIF LFR PSSC

• Provisional System Steering Committee (PSSC) was formed in 2005

• Members included EU, US, Japan and Korea• Prepared initial draft LFR System Research Plan (LFR-SRP)• Systems included a large central station design (ELSY) and a small

transportable system (SSTAR)

• In 2010, an MOU was signed between EU and Japan causing a reformulation of the PSSC

• In 2011, the Russian Federation added its signature to the MOU

• In April, 2012, the reformulated PSSC met in Pisa and began the process of revising the LFR-SRP (System Research Plan)

• Members are signatories of the MOU: EU, Japan and Russia• US invited to participate as observer

• The new PSSC envisions various updates to the central station and small reactor thrusts while adding a mid-size LFR

Current Activities of LFR-PSSC

Working meeting of the PSSC : November, 2012 in Tokyo, Japan

• Discussion on position paper on safety aspects and issues and LFR SRP

• Preparation of GIF Symposium paper and presentation (Craig Smith)

• Russian representative declared two FR line development: LFR and SFR

• Korea representative will be invited to the next meeting as observer

• Seminar on LFR at Tokyo Institute of Technology

• Difficult to proceed to SA signature given the present situation (Japan - Fukushima), decision to continue efforts to enlarge LFR MoU signatures

• Next meeting in Paris hosted by OECD-NEA on March 7-8, 2013 after FR13

The European Lead-cooled Fast Reactor ELFR

• Power: 1500 MW(th), 600 MW(e)• Core diameter, 4.5 m• Core height, 1.4 m • Core fuel MOX (first load)• Coolant temp., 400/480oC• Maximum cladding temp., 550oC• Efficiency: ~42%• Core breeding ratio (CBR) ~ 1

Steam Generator

Reactor Vessel

Safety Vessel

DHR dip cooler

Fuel Assemblies

Primary Pumps

Key technical attributes include FA extension to cover gas Passive DHRs: Secondary side isolation condensers + dip coolers

The BREST-OD-300 Lead-cooled Reactor

1 Core, 2 steam generator, 3 Pump, 4 refueling machine, 5 Reactor Vault

• Power: 700 MW(th), 300 MW(e)• Core diameter, 2.6 m• Core height, 1.1 m • Core fuel UN + PuN• Coolant temp., 420/540oC• Maximum cladding temp., 650oC• Efficiency: 42%• Core breeding ratio (CBR) ~ 1

1

2

3

4

5

Key technical attributes include concrete Reactor Vault, fuel reprocessing in dedicated building integrated with the plant

The Small Secure Transportable Autonomous Reactor (SSTAR)

SSTAR is a small natural circulation fast reactor of 20 MWe/45 MWt, that can be scaled up to 180 MWe/400 MWt.

The compact active core is removed by the supplier as a single cassette and replaced by a fresh core.

Key attributes include advanced power conversion system, use of natural convection cooling and a long-life core in a small, modular system.

LFR Infrastructures in Europesupporting the LFR Road Map

34 Exp. Facilities in Operation or under Construction in 10 European Research Institutions

1 ATHENA (Advanced Thermal Hydraulic Experiment for Nuclear Application)

2 CICLAD (Corrosion Induced by the Circulation of a LeAD alloy)

3 CIRCE (Circolazione Eutettico)4 COLONRI I & II (Convectional Loop) 5 CALLISTO (Static LM embrittlement) 6 COMPLOT (COMPonent Loop Tests)7 CORELLA (Corrosion Erosion Test Facility for Liquid Lead

Alloy)8 CORRIDA (Corrosion in Dynamic Alloys)9 COSTA (Corrosion test stand for stagnant liquid lead

alloys)10 CRAFT (Corrosion Research for Advanced Fast reactor

Technologies)11 CRISLA (Creep-to-Rupture Tests in Stagnant Lead Alloys)12 ELEFANT (Experimental LEad FAcility for Neutron

production Targets)13 E-SCAPE (European SCAled Pool Experiment)14 FRETHME (Fretting Tests in Heavy Liquid Metal)15 HELENA (HLM Loop for small components testing)16 HELIOS3 (Heavy Liquid Oxygen conditioning System 3 )

17 KALLSTARR (KALLA Steam Generator Tube Ruprture Facility)

18 LECOR (Lead Corrosion)19 LEVUSE (LBE Vessel for UltraSonic Experiments)20 LIFUS 5 (Heavy liquid metals interaction with water)21 LIMETS1 (Liquid Metal Embrittlement Testing Station 1)22 LIMETS2 (Liquid Metal Embrittlement Testing Station 2)23 LIMETS 3 (Liquid Metal Test Facility )24 LINCE (forced convection loop)25 LISOR Lead-Bismuth Loop26 NACIE (Natural Circulation Experiment)27 OSCAR (Oxygen Sensor Calibration Rig)28 RHAPTER (Remote HAndling Proof of principle Test

Experimental Rig)29 SCC at JRC (Lead loop for SCC testing at JRC-IE, Petten)30 SLEEVE (Small Lead Bismuth Eutectic Evaporation

experiment )31 STELLA (Standard Technology Loop for Lead Alloy)32 TALL (Thermal-hydraulic ADS Lead-bismuth Loop)33 TELEMAT (Test Loop for Lead Material testing)34 THEADES (Thermal-hydraulics and ADS Design)

Some LFR NEWS (in a chronological order)

February 2012: MOU between Romania/Italy Organizations (INR/ANSALDO/ENEA) signed to define the steps and rules to be followed to form an international consortium for ALFRED.

INR started contacts with Romania Safety Authority

ESNII Conference June 25th 2012 – BruxellesFocus on ENSII projects, ASTRID, MYRRHA, ALFRED, ALLEGRO.Declaration of interest in LFR development by Hungary gov. representative

INR-ENEA-ANSALDO meeting with DG Regio, June 29th - BruxellesA first meeting to identify possibility of access for ALFRED to infrastructural funds.

ESNII Ex. Board – September 2012Decision to focus on projects rather then technology.Decision for prioritization of initiatives, main criteria: availability of funds + technical considerations

BREST press conference: September 2012, ROSATOM declares that BREST construction will start soon and the plant will be operational in 2020 (fuel reprocessing included). Site is in the TOMSK region where competences on reprocessing is available.

SVBR press release: October 2012, AKME announces the signature of a MoU for the collaboration of Czech Republic main companies for SVBR (LBE).

EURATOM-ROSATOM meeting: October 2012 BruxellesNew BREST Scientific Coordinator – A. Moyssev (IPPE / NIKIET)ROSATOM confirms commitment for BREST and BN-800Bi-lateral contacts between LEADER and BREST projects

IRSN report on safety considerations on GenIV reactors available on Web-site

Some LFR NEWS (in a chronological order)

The EC Next StepUPDATE of STRATEGIC EUROPEAN DOCUMENTS

FROM THE DRAFT of the Introduction to “STRATEGIC RESEARCH INITIATIVE AGENDA” (SRIA) provided to SNE-TP (Sustainable Nuclear Energy – Technology Platform) by ESNII (European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative on Fast Reactors - SFR,LFR,GFR) With respect to the 2010 technologies evaluation, sodium is still considered as the reference technology since it has broader technological and reactor operations feed-back. The Lead Fast Reactor technology has significantly extended its technological base and can be considered as the shorter-term alternative technology, whereas the Gas Fast reactor technology has to be considered as a longer-term alternative option.

For the development of the Lead Fast Reactor, maximum synergy of activities will be sought with the MYRRHA development to optimize resources and planning. For the LFR demonstrator ALFRED the main focus should be on design activities typical of a critical reactor connected to the grid, as well as on R&D activities on the lead coolant, addressing the specific characteristics of lead with respect to lead-bismuth.

4 ESNII projects: ASTRID (SFR), MYRRHA(ADS-LBE), ALFRED (LFR), ALLEGRO (GFR)

FROM THE DRAFT of the Introduction to SRIA – ESNII Section

ESNII-systems shall be designed to reach at least the standards of safety, radiological protection and security put forward by WENRA for new reactors also targeting the Generation IV goals;ESNII-systems shall implement a safety approach based on the most recent standards and best international practices, using experience gained from past and present nuclear science and engineeringESNII-systems shall endeavour to minimize radioactive releases to the environment and doses to the workers in normal and incidental situations to as low as reasonably achievable;Societal concerns in relation to nuclear safety and security shall be duly taken into account in the ESNII-systems design process;ESNII-systems shall be designed to have a high level of implementation of the concept of Defence in Depth;ESNII-systems shall be designed to use as much as possible passive safety systems and inherent safety characteristics.;ESNII-systems will aim to practically eliminate the likelihood of severe accidents;ESNII-systems will be designed to be robust against Fukushima-accident initiators;Security shall form an integral part of the ESNII-systems design.ESNII-systems shall aim at further improving the economic competiveness and operability of nuclear energy in a future European energy mix

NEXT GIF-LFR-PSSC meeting in Paris 7-8 March 2013

Enlarged Participation to the meeting:

Members;Alessandro ALEMBERTI, Didier HAAS - EURATOMMinoru TAKAHASHI - JAPANValery SMIRNOV, Anton UMANSKIY

- RUSSIA

Observers:Craig SMITH, James SIENICKI, Anton MOISSEYTSEV - USAIl Soon HWANG, Myung Hyun KIM

- KOREAQunying HUANG, Ming JIN, Yican WU, Tao ZHOU -

CHINA

Secretariat: Shin’ichi TOYAMA

- OECD/NEA

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION