TerraPower Overview

Development and Outlook for Commercial Viability

Platts SMR ConferenceMay 24, 2011

Discussion Topics

• Who is TerraPower

• Overview of TerraPower status

• TP-1 project overview

• Technology development overview

• Computation, Modeling and Innovation

• Fukushima – Impact on TerraPower

• SMR Necessities

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TerraPower Vision and Mission

VisionTo develop innovative nuclear power technologies which enable society to obtain sustainable, cost-competitive, proliferation resistant, environmentally friendly, electricity .

MissionTo develop and commercialize new nuclear technologies and enable the building of sustainable nuclear power plants around the world.

3

TP-1 Missions

• TWR demonstration plant:– First electricity producing TWR – Startup about 2020– Confirm “standing wave” design, verify shuffling strategies– Demonstrate key plant equipment and verify that models agree with

operational performance– Provide the bases for 500 & 1150 MWe TWR plants– Last step of fuel and material qualification programs

• Design features included for additional testing & development– Accommodates lead test fuel assemblies

– Refueling capability for post irradiation fuel examinations

– First-of-a-kind instrumentation, maintenance considerations

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Profile of TerraPower

• Objective: Design and commercialize a 4th generation nuclear power reactor that addresses most, if not all, of the major concerns with nuclear energy (economics, safety, proliferation, waste)

• Expert staff and expert contractors: 500 man-years of working experience on real fast reactors (e.g., FFTF, EBR –I and EBR –II, Clinch River)

• Over 80 contracts with national labs, universities, companies, and expert consultants since 2007

• State-of-the-art computer capabilities and proprietary software to support detailed core performance simulations

• Access to data and fast reactor experience around the world

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The TerraPower Extended Team

Methods

Development

Materials & Fuel

Development

Equipment &

Process

Fuel

Fabrication

Design

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A Nuclear Energy System

Uranium mining

and milling

Conversion to

uranium hexafluoride

Uranium enrichment Fuel fabrication

Nuclear power

generation

Depleted

uranium

storage

Reprocessing Spent fuel storage

Actinide fuel

fabrication

Long-term

geologic

repository

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If Depleted Uranium Waste is Fuel

Uranium mining

and milling

Conversion to

uranium hexafluoride

Uranium enrichment Fuel fabrication

Nuclear power

generation

Depleted

uranium

storage

Reprocessing Spent fuel storage

Actinide fuel

fabrication

Long-term

geologic

repository

8

TWR Results in a Simplified Fuel Cycle

Fuel fabrication Spent fuel storagePower generationDepleted uranium

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Technical Status

• Developed proprietary reactor core physics and design tools

• Completed Engineering Design of Demonstration Plant (TP-1) with detailed cost and schedule

• Initiated materials development and tests in US, soon in foreign facilities

• Developed new core components for advanced operation.

10

TP-1 Plant Rendering

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TP1 Nuclear Island

Containment

Dome

Reactor & Guard

Vessel

Reactor Core & Core

Support structure

Primary Sodium

Pump (2)

Intermediate

Heat Exchangers

(4)

Upper Internal

Structure

Thermal Shield

Secondary Sodium

Pipes and Guard pipes

Large and Small

Rotating plugs

Equipment Hatch

In Vessel Fuel

Handling Machine

Reactor Head

12

TP-1 Core Layout

• 189 starter FAs

• 210 feed (DU) FAs

• 10 control rods

• 3 diverse safety rods

• 24 fixed control assemblies (movable, no drives)

• 3 open test assemblies (fuel and material testing)

• Fuel supports core life of 47 yrs at average burnup 16%

• Metallic fuel (U-5%Zr)

Fueled diameter ~ 4 m

Shield – 0.25m

Core – 2.5m

plenum – 2m

socket– 0.3m

5.35

m

Nosepiece – 0.33m

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Current Focus of Technology Development –Fuels and Materials

• High burnup, metal fuel needed

– At least 30% peak for TWR

– Data limit is 20% (in EBR-II)

• High neutron dose needed

– Approximately 500 dpa peak for TWR

– Data limit is 200 dpa (in FFTF)

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Path to Qualify Fuel

Fuel candidate selection (complete – metal fuel) Establish reference concept/design (complete)➜Design improvement and evaluation (ongoing)➜Fuel qualification and demonstration (initial stages)

➜Fabrication (initial contracts placed)➜Irradiation testing (negotiating contracts)– Post-irradiation exams– Safety testing

• TP-1 can use data from EBR-II and FFTF for startup• Information from proposed tests can be used to amend

license for higher burnup.

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Fuel Qualification Status

• Discussing project in several countries:

– Material specimen irradiations in BOR-60/BN-600 (RIAR/Bochvar)

– Fuel pin irradiations in BOR-60 (Riar)

– Metallic fuel fabrication “roadmap”

– Potential licensing and component support

• 10 CFR Part 810 application (Technology export license for Russia Submitted April 2011.

– Precursor for fuel and material irradiation studies

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Advanced Reactor Modeling Capabilities

Standardizes and

automates interactions with

other programs

• MC**2

• REBUS/DIF3D

• MCNPXT

• SUPERENERGY

• FEAST

• XTVIEW

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Fukushima Impact on TerraPower

• TerraPower is reexamining the TWR design against events at Fukushima and other common cause failures

– Particularly for complete power loss (SBO).

– Looking carefully at fire suppression and post accident vessel cooling.

18

Comparing Reactor Technologies

Generation III Generation IV TWR

Currently operating technology

Fast neutron reactors Fast reactor producing its own fuel

Water-cooled thermal reactors

Gas or liquid metal cooled Sodium cooled

Once through fuel cycle in the United states

Closed fuel cycle One cycle, one pass, one place

5% burn-up rate Multiple recycling processes used to increase burn-up

20% burn-up rate

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SMR Necessities

• Regulatory framework

– Legislative action

– Commission rulemaking

– Exemption process

• Regulatory resources

• Build an advanced design SMR

• Create/adapt supply chain

• Accessible testing facilities

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www.terrapower.com