| PAGE 1CEA/DEN/CAD/DEC L. PARET |Proposition pour

CODEN / 17 novembre 2014

IMPACT OF A PROGRESSIVE DEPLOYMENT OF FAST REACTORS IN

A PWR FLEET

Christine Chabert, Anne Saturnin

CEA Cadarache, DEN/DER

AIEA TECHNICAL MEETING,

Advanced Fuel Cycles for Waste Burden Minimization

June 21th – 24th, 2016, Vienna (Austria)

INTRODUCTION

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� Studies related to the French Act for nuclear waste management� They were carried out in tight connection with GENIV systems development

2008-2012

Minor Actinide Transmutation scenarios� Collaboration with EDF and AREVA� Comparison under various criteria: inventories, capacity of facilities,fuel transportation requirements, …and including the managementof waste (waste volume, repository footprint, …)� Collaboration with Andra for studies on waste disposal

Report on Sustainable Radiaoctive Waste Management, December 2012, CEA website

Plutonium Multirecycling scenarios� Continuation of the collaboration with EDF and AREVA� Assumptions chosen to be consistent with industrial constraints� Comparison under various criteria including the management of waste

CEA Report in June 2015

Since 2013

PLUTONIUM MULTIRECYCLING SCENARIOS

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INTRODUCTION

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� We consider a progressive implementation of FRs technology through successive phases:each phase involves the more significant deployment of fast reactors with its own growthobjective.

� These phases can be summarised as follows:Phase A: Once-through recycling in PWRsPhase B: Recycling of spent MOX fuelPhase C: Stabilisation of the Pu inventoryPhase D: Independence with respect to natural uranium.

A phase 0 : hypothetical French fleet having operated in an open-cycle configuration only.

� Few important assumptionso The nuclear energy production remains steady at its current level, about 430TWhe/yo The starting point is the actual situation (with 58 PWR)o A lifespan of 60 years for future reactors (PWR and FR)o A lifespan of 50 years for the fuel cycle plants (La Hague/Melox facilities renewal near 2040)o For the FR fleet, the CFV core concept (low sodium void effect) (CEA) is considered

(1GWe and 1,45GWe)

A: no used UOX accumulation

B: no used UOX nor LWR MOX accumulation

C: no used fuel inventory build up

D: Independence from natural uranium

0: Open cycle

IncreasedDeployment of

FR

PHASE A – RECYCLING ONCE IN PWR MOX(CURRENT FRENCH SITUATION)

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PRINCIPLE:- UOX fuels are reprocessed as they are produced - All of the plutonium recovered during reprocessing is recycled as MOX fuel (30% in PWRs)- Uranium recovered from reprocessing is enriched and recycled (known as ERU fuel) in PWRs- Interim storage of used ERU and MOX fuels- Stabilization of UOX spent fuel inventory

Fleet for Phase A24 UOX PWR (36,7GWe)11 PWRs with 30% MOX (16,8GWe)3 PWRs with 100% ERU (4,6GWe)

PWR - UOX PWR - MOXTR1

PWR - ERU

ERU used fuel

storageURT

Pu

MOX used fuel

storage

UOX used fuel

storage

Reprocessing plant (hydrometallurgy process): 820 tons UOX per yearManufacturing: 83 tons MOX per year – 75 tons ERU per year

PHASE B – RECYCLING OF SPENT MOX FUEL

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PRINCIPLE:- Use the Pu contained in spent PWR MOX fuels,

by deploying a limited number of fast reactors � # 3GWeTreatment of PWR MOX at the same pace they are produced

→ this makes it possible to stabilise the interim storage of spent MOX fuels- Spent fast reactor fuels are not recycled (Spent FR fuels storage)- Recycling of U in PWR ERU and interim storage for spent PWR ERU

PuPWR-UOX PWR- MOXTR1

PWR- ERU

Spent ERU fuels

storage

URT

PuFRTR2

Spent MOX fuels

storage

Spent UOX fuels

storage

Spent FR fuels

storage

Unit power of fast reactors :1000MWeFirst of a kind of a Gen IV industrial-scaleFRs in France (power level between theASTRID prototype power and theexpected fully mature industrial-scalereactor power of 1450 Mwe)

Characteristic fleet (≈410 TWhe/year)22 UOX PWR (33,7GWe)10 PWRs with 30% MOX (15,3GWe)3 PWRs with 100% ERU (4,6GWe)3 FR (3GWe)

Reprocessing plant (hydrometallurgy process) withtwo types of fuel to be considered: 750 tons UOX per year and 75 tons MOX per yearManufacturing: 75 tons ERU and MOX per yearand 26 tons FR-MOX per year

PHASE C – STABILISATION OF THE PU INVENTORY

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PWR-UOX TR1 TR2 TR3PWR-MOX FR

� Implementation of Pu multi-recycling in a fleet comprising PWRs and FRs and treatmentof used SFR

� Pu is produced by UOX-PWRs before it is consumed in MOX-PWRs, with the fast reactorsensuring the correction of its isotopic composition to enable its recycling in MOX-PWRs

� The performance of FRs could be adapted to make them slight net producers of plutonium(breeding gain of about 0.2), with the isotopic quality of plutonium therefore being easier torectify (to be acceptable for PWRs)

Characteristic fleet (≈420 TWhe/year)19 PWRs with 30% MOX (29,1GWe)3 PWRs with 100% MOX (4,8GWe)16 FR (23,2GWe) – About 40% of FR in the fleet

- The implementation of phase C will necessarily require fuel cycle plants that employ theappropriate technologies for manufacturing and treating the required quantities of FR fuels(about 270t/year)

PHASE D – INDEPENDENCE FROM NATURAL U

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TRFR TRPWR-MOX FR

Option D1 Option D2

41 Fast Reactors 1450MWe 28 Fast breeder Reactors 1450MWe10 PWR with 100% MOX

Necessarily breeders to compensate PWR-MOX Pu consumption

� Phase D aims at eliminating any need for natural uranium to supply the nuclear powerfleet. Like in the previous phase, it also aims at stabilising the Pu inventories

� The objective of gaining independence with respect to natural uranium requires that theonly fuel be a plutonium-based fuel (PWR-MOX or FR-MOX), with the addition ofdepleted uranium which can also come from URT stocks or result from the reprocessingof ERU fuels

Reprocessing plant : 255 t/y PWR-MOX and 475 t/y FR-MOX

Reprocessing plant : 480 t/y FR-MOX

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS FOR EACH PHASES

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Phase 0 Phase A Phase B Phase C Phase D1 Phase D2

Fraction of FRs

0% 0% 5% 40% 100% 75%

Unatconsumption

7600 t/y 6300 t/y 5800 t/y 2700 t/y 0 0

Pu flow incycle

- ≈ 9 t/y ≈ 12 t/y ≈ 50 t/y ≈ 75 t/y

Pu inventory(t/year)

+10,5 +7,4 +7,1 Stabilized Stabilized Stabilized

MA inventory(t/year)

+2,5 +3,2 +3,1 +3,6 +2,2 +3,3

� The transition from phase A through to phase D improves - at each phase - thequantities which are characteristic of the sustainable management of materials

� Each phase makes its possible to improve the industrial maturity of the fastreactors whose integration into phase B remains very minor (5% of the fleet)

PU INVENTORY

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0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

0 50 100 150 200 250

Pu

inve

ntor

y (t

ons)

Time

B C D1

OPEN CYCLE

STAGE A

STAGE A-B

STAGE A-B-C-D1

Stages C and D � Stabilization of the plutonium inventory

THE RADIOACTIVE WASTE

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THE RADIOACTIVE WASTE : ILW -LL AND HLW

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WASTE PRODUCTION

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m3/TWh A B C D1 D2 Open cycle

ILW-LLIntermediate-level long-lived waste

0.56 0.57 1.16 1.30 1.30 0.07

HLWHigh-level waste

0.78 0.82 1.08 0.78 1.10 8.4

Spent fuel 1.2 1.1 0

ILW-LL- Increased production with sodium fast reactors deployment(fast reactor structural material and metal components in the core)- Sodium fast reactor fuels contain boron carbide (neutron-absorbing material): upper neutron shielding (280 kg/t HM) + control rods- Boron carbide management not decided today

HLWProduction relatively stable whatever the option A, B and D1

MOX+ERU fuel ERU+FR-MOX fuel All the Pu present in spent fuels is used, no spent fuel storage required

REPOSITORY FOOTPRINT

m2/TWh A B C D1 D2

HLW footprintIntermediate-level long-lived waste

90 120 230 140 230

Spent fuels potentialadditional footprint

MOX: 200ERU: 40

FR-MOX: 120ERU: 40

- - -

Global potential footprint 330 280 230 140 230

Hypothesis: interim storage 80 years

MINOR ACTINIDE TRANSMUTATION SCENARIOS

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SCENARIOS INVESTIGATED

Among the scenarios considering the deployment of SFRs, several differentiated options have been selected:

-Recycling of plutonium only (F4)

-Recycling of plutonium and transmutation of all or part of minor actinides in homogeneous mode

- Of all minor actinides (Np+Am+Cm) (F2A)- Of americium only (F2B)

-Recycling of plutonium and transmutation of all or part of minor actinides in heterogeneous mode in bearing radial blankets

- Of all minor actinides (Np+Am+Cm) (F1G)- Of americium only (F1J)

0,0%

33,3%

66,7%

100,0%

2000 2020 2040 2060 2080 2100 2120 2140

Time (years)

% o

f tot

al n

ucle

ar e

nerg

y

EPR

SFR

Current park

INVENTORIES AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MATERIAL AND WASTE

� TRANSMUTATION OF ALL MINOR ACTINIDES :• In Homogeneous mode, a content of ~ 1,2 % MA in the fuels;

all the reactors of the system are involved• In Heterogeneous mode, one row of radial blankets containing 20% of MA

in 75% of the reactors of the system

�TRANSMUTATION OF AMERICIUM ALONE :• In Homogeneous mode,

a content of ~ 0,8 % MA in the entire reactor system• In Heterogeneous mode,

1 row of radial blankets containing 10% of Amin all the reactors of the system

THE MAIN RESULTS AT EQUILIBRIUM

Inventaire global en actinides mineurs (tonnes)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090 2100 2110 2120 2130 2140 2150

Année

Mas

se d

'AM

(to

nnes

)

F4 - RNR Pu

F1G - RNR CCAM

F1J - RNR CCAm

F2A - RNR Pu+AM

F2B - RNR Pu+Am

F7 - RNR Pu + ADS

Scenarios with partitioning-transmutation :

- Stabilization of the total inventory if transmutation of all MA

- Reduction of MA in the waste

- But the MA inventory within the cycle increases (60 to 160 tons)

Inventory of total MA

No transmutation

With Transmutation

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2010 2030 2050 2070 2090 2110 2130 2150Année

Mas

se d

e P

u (

tonn

es)

F4 - RNR Pu

F25 - cycle ouvert

Inventory of total Pu

The deployment of SFR is possibleStabilization of the Pu inventory

INVENTORIES AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MATERIAL AND WASTE

The number of waste packages expected has been calculated for each of three scenario.

- The quantities are similar from one scenario to the next. - The annual waste flows appear to be of the same order of magnitude as those expected

for Andra’s industrial geological repository project “Cigéo”. - This makes it possible to pursue the current Cigéo project options in terms of

infrastructures and operating tools

EVALUATION OF WASTE PACKAGES

Cigéo project has been developped for current waste from existing NPPs. It will not accomodate the waste which might be produced by future NPP fleets.

IMPACT ON THE GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL [ANDRA]

No transmutation (120 years) Transmutation AM (120 years)

Compared to the multi-recycling of Pu in SFR, the transmutation of MA associated with the design optimization of the repository, provides for the entire duration of the scenarios (2040-2150) :

� A reduction of factor 7,5 (only Am) to 10 (all MA) of the area covered by the disposal of high-level glass stored over 120 years;

Thus, transmutation would reduce the disposal footprint of high-level glass from 1200 hectares to 160 hectares (only Am) to 120 hectares (all MA).� A reduction of factor 3 of the total repository footprint,� A reduction of factor 2 of the overall excavated volume.

HLW area : 1200 ha (1)

HLW area : 120 ha(/ 10)

CONCLUSIONS

PLUTONIUM MULTIRECYCLING IN FAST REACTORS- A progressive deployment of generation IV reactors- A « step by step » approach- Stabilization of the interim storage of spent PWR MOX fuel

(Stage B # 3GWe of SFR)- Stabilization of the Pu inventory (Stages C and D)- Independance from natural uranium (Stage D)- Increases the quantites of ILW-LL- Nearly identical HLW production- Reduces the quantity of spent fuels with no use

MINOR ACTINIDE TRANSMUTATION SCENARIOS- Decreases of a factor 10 of the HLW disposal footprint- Increases the MA inventory in the cycle- More specific difficulties and uncertainties for curium transmutation

� This programme is being continued in close collaboration with our industrial partners, Areva and EDF

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