STABLES ISOTOPES SUPPLY PROJECT AND OTHER FRONT-END PROJECT BY ORANO TO RESEARCH REACTORS COMMUNITY - PHILIPPE BERTRAND, LAURENT BIGOT, JEAN-NOEL ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
STABLES ISOTOPES SUPPLY PROJECT
AND OTHER FRONT-END PROJECT BY
ORANO TO RESEARCH REACTORS
COMMUNITY
PHILIPPE BERTRAND, LAURENT BIGOT,
JEAN-NOEL LACROIX, JEAN-LUC VINCENT
September 2021
Orano
presentation and
context
2
Orano – Group presentation 2020
Having refocused its activities on the nuclear fuel
cycle, Orano wishes to build on its competences
outside its current position
Orano ensures excellence right across the fuel cycle…
... and right across
all service activities
1st 2nd conversion step
conversion Enrichment
step Orano Tricastin
Orano
Nuclear Packages & Services
Malvési Storage of recyclable materials
Depleted uranium,
Mining – Treatment reprocessing uranium, etc.
Natural uranium
Engineering
concentrate
Orano Mining
Decommissioning & Services
Fuel
fabrication
Chemistry Enrichment Business Unit is one of the
Recycling –
MOX fuel Nuclear power
world global leaders in uranium conversion and
fabrication
Orano Melox
plants
Electricity enrichment activities
production
Orano has more than fifty years of industrial experience
Orano has maintained its skills and its leading-edge technologies in
particular chemical processing, purification,
enrichment of uranium and fluorine chemistry
Processing of
used fuel Cigéo project Orano wishes to use thoses skills and leading-
Orano La Intermediate/high-
Hague level long-lived edge technologies outside its current position.
waste
The stable isotopes project is part of this dynamic.
Stable isotopes supply project and other front-end project by Orano to research reactors community – September 2021 3
Orano is ideally positioned to diversify its enrichment
activities
Unique competencies and technologies
Since 2018, Orano has been looking at leveraging on its unique competencies and
technologies, in this view, it has launched a new activity as stable isotopes or HALEU/LEU+
based on its best in class separation and chemistry technologies and unique knowhow
Georges Besse II Philippe Coste
Production capacity of 7.5 MSWUs reached and a Production capacity of UF6: 15,000 metric tons
defluorination plant
Strong assets for isotopic separation of elements
1 The best isotopic separation technology in the world, through ETC, Orano joint venture with Urenco
2 A proven technology for uranium and stable isotopes separation
3 A thorough expertise in chemistry, particularly fluoride chemistry, often necessary for stable isotopes production or
HALEU/LEU+, through Orano’s activities in the front end and back end of the nuclear fuel cycle
4 The industrial platform of Tricastin (France), a center of expertise for separation and chemistry activities, with all the
necessary infrastructure to host a stable isotopes production activity
Stable isotopes supply project and other front-end project by Orano to research reactors community – September 2021 4
Stable Isotopes
project status and
next steps
5
Orano – Group presentation 2020
Today, Orano is working on 2 stables isotopes and new
ones will come soon
Within the 38 elements descripted in the literature, A large number of stable
Orano is currently working on Si and Xe isotopes
H He The stable isotopes laboratory
targets elements that can be
Li Be B C N O F Ne separated with the centrifuge
process.
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar These elements field includes
the very large category of
K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr stable isotopes precursors for
radio-isotopes that are mainly
Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe used for specific needs, such as
medical imaging or treatment
Cs Ba Lu Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn and industrial radiation sources.
Fr Ra Lr Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Nh Fl Mc Lv Ts Og
La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb
Ac Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No
XX Currently under development XX Other stable isotopes with a possible separation
XX Element currently separated by centrifuges XX Other elements
XX Other element with gaseous compound suitable for centrifuges in literature
Stable isotopes supply project and other front-end project by Orano to research reactors community – September 2021 6
Stable isotopes using centrifuge process for separation
cover plenty of uses
Examples of Medical applications Industrial applications
68Zn (67Ga*)
Nuclear Industry Depleted Zn (depleted in 64Zn) for
Gamma imagery 112Cd (111In*) PWR/BWR primary loop
Diagnostics
124Xe (123I*) 191Ir (192Ir*)
Non destructive
testing 74Se (75Se*)
PET 124Te (124I*)
72Gefor GeF4 pre-amorphisation implants
Micro- enhancement
98Mo (99Mo*) electronics 28Si
Tracer for quantum computing
100Mo (99Mo*)
191Ir (193Ir*) Research applications
Therapy
124Xe (125I*) Isotopic purified material for fuel or
Brachytherapy 68Zn (67Cu*) primary structure to reduce specific Nuclear Industry
77Se (77Br*) neutron capture cross section
70Zn and 50Ti for super heavy
Palliative care 186W (188Re*) materials research Fundamental
Others
136Xe, 130Te, 76Ge and 82Se for
Physics
Imagery 129Xe neutrino research
enhancement
* Radio-isotope generated after irradiation of stable isotope precursor
Stable isotopes supply project and other front-end project by Orano to research reactors community – September 2021 7
Orano will be able to provide its services through the entire
value chain of stable isotopes production
From the natural element to the isotopic purity and chemical form required by the customer
Conversion to Deconversion to Potential
Supply of Centrifuge isotopic
gaseous separation client chemical irradiation or direct
natural element
compound* form use
Several orders of magnitude for typical production
Typical production volumes for stable isotopes currently considered are several orders of magnitude:
From small production rates for client-specific demand: ~10 g/year – 1 kg/year
To higher production capacities for regular and high-volume products: ~100 kg/year
(*) Centrifugation only works with gas : it requires, among other conditions,
that an adequate gaseous compound of said element be identified
Stable isotopes supply project and other front-end project by Orano to research reactors community – September 2021 8
The “Stable Isotopes Lab (SIL)” is currently under
construction on Tricastin
A new building in a non-nuclear zone
After a preparatory phase, the bulding of
the Stable Isotopes Laboratory is
currently under construction for a couple
of months on Tricastin site (South of
France) in a non-nuclear zone as stables
isotopes are non-radioactive.
An installation outside the nuclear
jurisdiction will allow this activity to build
the facility quicker, be more flexible and
cost effective.
Stable Isotopes Lab
Stable isotopes supply project and other front-end project by Orano to research reactors community – September 2021 9
Orano speed up on R&D and is already working with clients
on several elements / isotopes
A flexible lab
The facility will be used to perform research & development depending on client’s needs and production.
The production will be flexible (multi isotope per production chain) but Orano can adapt its industrial scenario if
future clients need dedicated chains.
The production part is fully modular and can evolve according to market needs.
First development results
The R&D on the first element speed up with the first result on
separation efficiency, on deconversion for special customer’s
needs and on development of the quality monitoring for very
high purity (isotopic and chemical purity).
The quality is validated along the way with the partners or future
customers.
Stable isotopes supply project and other front-end project by Orano to research reactors community – September 2021 10The two next years will be crucial with the mounting, the
tests and the start-up of the lab
First production in 2023
At the end of the year, the building will be able to receive the
equipment. The mounting of the test benches and the first
cascade will take the full year. The test and the production will
take place in 2023.
Mounting of
Construction Test Production
equipment
2022 2023 2024
Stable Isotopes Laboratory
Overview
Stable isotopes supply project and other front-end project by Orano to research reactors community – September 2021 11Other front-end
project: HALEU
project
12
Orano – Group presentation 2020Orano is also working on HALEU
First production of LEU+ in 2023-2024
As part of this strategy to use its core competencies
and technologies, Orano is working on HA LEU
production.
As a first step the production of LEU+ (uranium
hexafluorure under 6% 235U) will be supplied to the
market.
Regulatory approvals are under progress for allowing
a first production on GB2 (Tricastin site).
Orano has engaged preliminary discussions with
potential customers. This demand is clearly driven
by US utilities as they need to sharpen their
competitive hedge in the highly competitive electricity
market. Reducing the number of outages goes
definitely in this direction. Operators In other parts of
the world are carefully monitoring the developments in
the US and could follow at a later stage.
For LEU+, there is no need to reconfigure GB2
centrifuges cascades. For HALEU, we think that the
best is to design a new centrifuges cascade. So, we
are considering a specific plant with substantial
investments. These investments will be decided when
the future volume of demand will be confirmed.
Stable isotopes supply project and other front-end project by Orano to research reactors community – September 2021 13Join us!
Orano is new trustable partner to worldwide stables isotopes users
and to develop suitable solutions for our customers
Orano speed up on stable isotopes and is already working with clients on
several elements / isotopes.
Nevertheless, Orano is open to discussions to integrate clients’ needs
Isotopes (additional quantity or new elements / isotopes) in its industrial roadmap.
Stable isotope is the first step of leveraging on
its unique competencies and technologies in enrichment
and chemistry , Orano is also working on HA LEU
On LEU+, preliminary discussions are on-going with
potential customers.
14Thank you
for your attention
15You can also read
