www.cea.fr

R&D AT CEA FOR A SUSTAINABLE NUCLEAR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT

PIERRE-YVES CORDIERNUCLEAR ENERGY DIVISION

CEA, FRANCE

The current situation…

France’s example : more than 90% of electricity production is CO2 free.

The French energy transition bill : preparing the future.

R&D to support the Gen II-III and prepare the Gen IV.

The JHR.

A whole range of experimental facilities, including new projects.

What future for nuclear energy ?

The ASTRID project

Fast neutron reactors and their fuel cycle.

Conclusion

OUTLINE

| PAGE 2

THE CURRENT SITUATION

| PAGE 3

Primary energy consumption is stable in France since

2000, energy independence at more than 50%.

Around 75% of electricity comes from nuclear.

The closed fuel cycle policy already leads to resource

optimization and manageable ultimate wastes.

More than 90% of electricity in France is CO2 free

(nuclear + hydro + wind + PV).

2016 electricity production : wind 3.9% and solar 1.9%

BASIC FACTS ABOUT ENERGY IN FRANCE

| PAGE 4

Primary energy consumption

Primary energy production

Mtoe

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

MW

e

Solar

Wind

Biomass

The bill will act on different levers :Promote energy efficiency and sobriety, diversify energy supply, reduce the share of fossil fuels

and increase the renewables, ensure adequate means for energy transport and storage, and

develop R&D in energy field.

Its main objectives :Reduction by 30% of the use of fossil fuels by 2030, and halve the total energy consumption by

2050 (vs 2012 levels).

Capping of nuclear capacity to current level (63,2 Gwe), and decrease nuclear energy share from

75% to 50% by 2025.

Increase renewable energies share of final consumption to 23% by 2020 and 32% by 2030.

Establishment of a Multi Annual Energy Plan (MEP), revised every 5 years, that sets the evolution

of Energy mix (taking into account for example the foreseeable increase in electricity use).

THE FRENCH BILL ON ENERGY TRANSITION

| PAGE 5

R&D FOR GEN II, GEN III AND GEN IV

| PAGE 6

R&D FOR THE CURRENT NUCLEAR INDUSTRYREACTORS & CYCLE

Reactors

• Extending the operating lifetime of nuclear power plants

• Improving their performance level (availability, etc.)

• Increasing their nuclear safety level

Fuel cycle

• Meeting industry needs in a highly competitive market

• Supporting the recycling industry (La Hague & Melox), radwaste producers and Andra

Investigation of irradiated materials and fuels at the Saclay centre Platform of mixers and settlers to

validate the performance of the selective uranium extraction

process on a laboratory scale

General view of the evolving vitrification prototype equipped

with a cold crucible melter adapted for nuclear environments

at Marcoule

Studying the fluence absorbed by the 1300 MWe reactor vessels in

EOLE

Maintaining a high level of expertise and skills for the current nuclear fleet (fuel cycle and reactors)

| PAGE 7

| PAGE 8

1. R&D in support to nuclear Industry Safety and plant lifetime management (ageing & new plants)Fuel behavior testing in normal, incidental and accidental conditionsAssess innovations and related safety for future NPPs

Jules Horowitz Reactor Main Objectives

2. Radio-isotopes supply for medical use99Mo productionJHR will supply 25% of the European needs (today about 8 millions protocols/year) Up to 50% upon specific request

3. A key tool to underpin expertise Training young generations (JHR simulator, secondee programs)Maintaining a national expertise staff and credibility for public acceptanceAssessing safety requirements evolution and international regulation harmonization

| PAGE 9

JHR International Consortium

JHR Consortium current partnership: Research centres & Industrial companies

IAEC

Associated Partnership:

JHR consortium for construction and operation (established 2007)

CEA = Owner & nuclear operatorJHR Members owners of guaranteed access rights in proportion of their financial commitment to the constructionOpen to new member entrance until JHR completion

NOTE : JHR is part of the ICERR labelling awarded by IAEA in sept. 2015

Hot labs : PIE on materials and fuels (LECI, LECA)

Hot labs dedicated to fuel cycle back‐end (ATALANTE, G1)

Zero power reactors : Critical mock‐ups(PWR – EOLE/MINERVE, FNR – MASURCA)

Technological platforms (mechanics /seismic – TAMARIS, components –RESEDA, thermohydraulique – POSEIDON/AMETHYST, severe accidents –PLINIUS, hydrogen risks – MISTRA, …)

A unique fleet of experimental facilities….

| PAGE 10

LECA/STAR

(* opportunity study in progress) 

* : fin prochaine des activités de R&D

Hot lab for irradiated fuel (MOSAIC*)

MOX R&D to be transferred to ATALANTE (2017)

Jules Horowitz Reactor MTR

Zero power reactor ZEPHYR* for PWR neutronics studies

PLINIUS 2 / R&D for severe accidents GEN‐2,3 et 4

… continously updated, modernized and refurbished

| PAGE 11Adressing all the needs and fields

THE FUTURE : A SUSTAINABLENUCLEAR ENERGY

| PAGE 12

WHY A FAST NEUTRON REACTOR (FNR) ?

Development of reactors and back-end fuel cycle

| PAGE 13

Total recycling of plutonium– Mox fuel multirecycling.

Uranium resources conservation

U in LWRs

Minimization of volume and radiotoxicity of final wastes (MA transmutation)

– Volume of wastes in repository divided by 20 compared to once through.

– Radiotoxicity equivalent to natural U ore after a few hundreds of year.

– Important for public acceptance.

0,1

1

10

100

1000

10000

10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000Temps (années)

Rad

ioto

xici

té re

lativ

e

Uranium resources

7000 Gtoe

Coal 420Gtoe

Gas160Gtoe

Oil190Gtoe

U in FRs

100305

SF direct disposal

U ore

Current glasses

Gen IV

WHAT IS ASTRID ?(ADVANCED SODIUM TECHNOLOGICAL REACTOR FOR INDUSTRIAL DEMONSTRATION)

ASTRID is a technological reactor (pre‐FOAK of commercial reactor) for Gen IV demonstration at an industrial scale (~600 MWe) of the relevancy and performances of innovations in the fields of safety and operability.The technology of ASTRID allows to have a very resilientdesign to external events (earthquake, flooding, loss of power, airplane crash…)

Industrial partners Leaders in nuclear

and high-tech

PAGE 14

ASTRID MAIN INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS

Improved safety core (« CFV »), patented by CEA-AREVA-EDF

Nitrogen tertiary loop to eliminate sodium/water interaction

In Service Inspection and Repair (ISIR) designed by

conception

No early or major releases in case of severe accidents

| PAGE 15

Reinforce the containment

The rationale of future nuclear fuel cycles in viewof sustainability

Gen. II & III

1980 2000 2020 2040 2060 2080 2100

Gen. IV

…+ MA recycling

Pu-monorecycling

Pu-multi-recyclingPu-mono-recycling- Twice-Through Cycle- LWR reactors- Pu-recycling in MOX fuel

Pu multi-recycling- Multi-Through Cycle- Fast-Reactors (FR)- Pu multi-recycling

Pu+MA multi-recycling- Fast Reactors (FR)- Pu multi-recycling- MA burning

Gen. IV

Main incentives- 1st step towards U

resource saving- Efficient waste

conditioning

Main incentives- Major resource saving- Energetic independence- Economic stability

Main incentives- Decrease of waste burden, - Optimisation of the disposal- Public acceptance

TOWARDS INCREASING SUSTAINABILITYDates are purely indicative

Breakthrough=reactors

Breakthrough=cycle

Onc

e-th

roug

hcy

cle

| PAGE 16

AT THE MOMENT…Nuclear energy is in 2016 a well proven source of large baseload electricity, with no

GHG emissions. It will remain one of the pillars of the future French low carbon energy mix.

An associated closed fuel cycle allows an optimization of the final wastes volume and radiotoxicity, while reusing valuable material (U and Pu).

IN THE FUTURE…

Both LWR and FNR for the French fleet.

The closed fuel cycle associated with FNR will lead to drastic improvement in U resources management, and important reduction in footprint and radiotoxicity of final wastes.

FNR is also developed in other countries, following the same strategy than France.

| PAGE 17

« en résumé… »

Nuclear Energy DivisionSino-French Seminar on nuclear R&D Strategy | Chengdu | 18 October 2016

Thanks for your attention.

| PAGE 18