THORIUM AS AN ENERGY SOURCE - OPPORTUNITIES FOR NORWAY - REPORT BY THE THORIUM COMMITTEE DIETER RØHRICH UIB AND CERN (FROM 1.3.08)
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Thorium as an energy source –
opportunities for Norway
Report by the Thorium
committee
Dieter Røhrich
UiB and CERN (from 1.3.08)
1
Thorium as an energy source –
opportunities for Norway
The mandate: Concluding remarks:
“The Committee’s work and • The current knowledge of
the resulting Report shall thorium based energy
establish a solid knowledge generation and the geology is
base concerning both not solid enough to provide a
opportunities and risks final assesment regarding the
related to the use of thorium potential value for Norway of a
for long-term energy thorium based system for a long
production. The work should term energy production.
be conducted as a study of • The Committee recommends
the opportunities and that the thorium option be kept
possibilities (screening), open in so far it represents an
based on a review of interesting complement to the
Norway’s thorium resources uranium option to strengthen
and the status of key the sustainability of nuclear
technologies.[...]” energy
2
Primary energy consumption
• World energy flows at the end of the last century
53% 37% 26% 8% 5% 22% = 150%
oil coal gas hydro nuclear other
electricity
generation
12%
Residential and
Transportation 24% Industry 38% commercial 38% = 100%
3
Global energy consumption
4
Energy situation in Europe
• Status 2004
– 152 nuclear reactors -> 31% of electricity consumption
– Nordic countries
» Sweden: 10 units
» Finland: 4 units, one nuclear power plant under construction
• The EU Climate and Energy Package - Targets by 2020
– Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to 1990
level
– Reduction of energy consumption by 20% compared to 1990 level
– Increase the share of renewable sources in the EU energy mix to 20%
– Increase the share of biofuels of transport petrol and diesel to 10%
5Cumulative natural uranium demand and reserves
Nuclear Energy
Agency’s Reference
Cumulative Natural Uranium Demand and Reserve Levels Scenario
6
200 • Continued nuclear
180
5 growth
Million Tonnes Natural Uranium
160
• Reported uranium
GtCO 2 Equivalent
4 140
120
reserves last until
3 100
about 2040
80 • Reported reserves
2
60 depend on demand –
1 40 might increase
20
• Breeder reactor
0 0
2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 technology would
Reserves (US$80/kgU) Reserves (US$130/kgU) Nat. U demand (Million t U)
change this
development
6Energy situation in Norway
• 100% hydro power
• Production
matches the
consumption
• Large fluctuations
in production due
to weather
variations
• Import/export via
power cables to
Sweden, Finland,
Netherlands
7Thorium as nuclear fuel
• Thorium has been used as nuclear fuel since the 1960s
• Preparation of thorium fuel is more complex and expensive than
that of uranium fuel
• Thorium as a nuclear fuel is technically well established and
behaves remarkably well in various reactors
• Reprocessing thorium fuel is complicated and will require a
substantial effort for the development of a commercial plant
• Waste management will in principal follow known procedures and
methods
• Radiation protection requirements for the thorium cycle might be
lower than those of the uranium cycle
• Technically, one of the best ways to dispose of a plutonium stock
pile is to burn it in a thorium-plutonium MOX fuel
9Nuclear reactors for thorium fuel
• U-233 has some very attractive properties as fissile material
– U-233 emits so many neutrons per fission that they can sustain a chain
reaction AND breed new U-233 from Th-232
number of neutrons
=
produced
per neutron captured
10Nuclear reactors for thorium fuel
• Advantage
– Practically NO production of longlived transuranic elements
-> reduced radiotoxicity of waste
• Disadvantage
– Smaller percentage of delayed neutrons
-> more difficult to control in extreme situations
– Management of parasitic Pa-233
-> difficult reactor operation (online re-fuelling, special seed-blanket
geometry)
11(Industrial) experience with thorium in nuclear
reactors
Country Name Type Power Operation
Germany AVR HTGR 15 MWe 1967 - 1988
Germany THTR HTGR 300 MWe 1985 - 1989
UK, OECD-EURATOM
also Norway, Sweden & Dragon HTGR 20 MWth 1966 -1973
Switzerland
USA Fort St Vrain HTGR 330 MWe 1976 – 1989
USA, ORNL MSRE MSBR 7.5 MWth 1964 – 1969
Shippingport & LWBR 100 MWe 1977 – 1982
USA
Indian Point PWR 285 MWe 1962 – 1980
KAMINI, 30 kWth
India CIRUS & MTR 40 MWth In operation
DHRUVA 100 MWth
12Shippingport light water reactor
• Light water
breeding
reactor
– Fuelled with
U-233 and
Th-232
– Produced
1.4% more
fuel than it
burned
Pennsylvania, USA 13Status of thorium projects today
• Most projects using thorium were terminated by
the end of the 1980s
• Main Reasons
– The thorium fuel cycle could not compete economically
with the well-known uranium cycle
– Lack of political support for the development of nuclear
technology after the Chernobyl accident
– Increased worldwide concern regarding the
proliferation risk associated with reprocessing of spent
fuel
• Except for India
– long term energy plan which includes a complicated
scheme of plutonium and thorium fuel
16Future nuclear energy systems using thorium
• Goal
– self-sustaining thorium fuel cycle (no U-235, U-238 or plutonium)
• Two potential reactor types (conceptual level)
– Molten salt reactor
» One of the reactor types of the roadmap of the Generation IV
International Forum
» Not specially designed for thorium
» 20-30 years of R&D
– Accelerator Driven System (ADS)
» Proton accelerator + spallation target + subcritical reactor core
» Very versatile and flexible concept
» Part of the EURATOM FP6 roadmap
(MYRRHA project in Belgium)
» Considered at the moment for the
transmutation of waste
(and not for energy production)
» 20-30 years of R&D
17Thorium market
• There is no market for
thorium as of today
• By-product of rare
earth element mining
• Total amount of
thorium produced
worldwide:
37 500 tonnes
(US, Australia,
China, India)
22Thorium in Norway
World Thorium Reserves and Reserve Base (Resources)
700 000 US Geological Survey claims that:
600 000
• Norway has one of the major thorium
500 000
reserves in the world.
Tonnes
400 000
300 000 Reserve Base
200 000 Reserves
100 000
0
Norway
The Geological Survey of Norway:
Brazil
India
United
Malaysia
States
countries
Africa
Canada
South
Australia
Other
• Thorium has never been specifically
explored for
• Fen Complex most promising
• Low concentration 0.1 – 0.4 wt%
• Volume estimates are uncertain
• Grain size too small for the traditional
flotation processes
• Norway has a potential resource
• More investigations necessary to
define as a reserve
23Conclusions and recommendations (1)
The potential contribution of nuclear energy to a
sustainable energy future should be recognized.
• Volume estimates of Norwegian thorium resources are
uncertain; the grain size is too small for traditional
extraction processes.
It is essential to assess whether thorium in Norwegian
rocks can be defined as an economical asset for the
benefit of future generations.
• The development of an ADS using thorium is not within the
capability of a Norway working alone.
Joining the European effort in that field should be
considered.
24Conclusions and recommendations (2)
Norway should strengthen its international collaboration
by joining the EURATOM fission programme and GIF
programme on Generation IV reactors suitable for the use
of thorium
• The proliferation resistance of uranium-233 depends on
the reactor and reprocessing technologies.
Due to the lack of experience with industrial-scale thorium
fuel cycle facilities, similar safeguard measures as for
plutonium are considered mandatory until otherwise
documented.
25Conclusions and recommendations (3)
• Any new nuclear activity in Norway, e.g. thorium fuel
cycles, would need strong international pooling of human
resources, and in the case of thorium strong long-term
commitment.
In order to meet the challenge related to the new nuclear
era in Europe, Norway should secure its competence
within nuclear sciences and nuclear engineering fields.
26You can also read
