Energy Carriers: Rate "Northeast" and Consolidation
with Nuclear Power Technology
(Power and Ecological Safety, Economy and Profitability)
Alekseev P.N., Subbotin S.A., Schepetina T.D.
development and arrangement of new
deposits. Especially in conditions of the Far
North and a shelf of the Arctic seas high
installed power capacity per capita is
necessary since there is a problem of
maintenance electric and thermal energy of
boreholes, watch settlements, communication
centers, other systems, and also for sea water
desalination. More and more actual there is
also a problem of ecological influence of
extracting branches to the nature. Attraction
of a nuclear energy will allow to lower
sharply adverse influences power sources to
environment.
Abstract - For development of sea and other
remote oil and gas deposits and other
resources it is offered to use "mobile" Small
Nuclear Power Plants (floating, mobile or
stationary basing) as starting (pioneering)
power sources, providing field men by the
electric power, household heat and industrial
steam. 1
There has come time for consolidated
"efforts" of traditional power technologies –
oil-gas-coal
and
nuclear
energy
for
optimization power production structure and
hydrocarbonic raw materials (HCRM) export.
In this case nuclear power sources can be
considered as «a source of HCRM», which
allow to receive HCRM in huge scales from
regions which are simply not accessible to
modern economy without nuclear power.
Nuclear power plants of small power (SNPP)
can be used as starting, pioneer power
sources at development of new deposits of
hydrocarbonic raw material (HCRM) for
acceleration of their input to operation,
together for operation of existing deposits
HCRM.
Index Terms - Mobile power sources; Nuclear
power sources; Small Nuclear Power Plants;
Development of sea oil and gas deposits;
Hydrocarbonic raw materials export; Russian
Arctic regions; Ecological safety; Liquid
natural gas; Economy; Profitability.
As power sources for power supply of oiland-gas deposits of the North and the remote
areas of the Far East of Russia it is offered to
use serial produced SNPP - ecologically
clean
power
sources
of
industrial
manufacture. They possess the increased
safety on the basis of properties of inherent
safety, are long worked without refueling and
exclude the manipulation with the spent
nuclear fuel on the site of atomic power
station and have received the name «nuclear
battery». At modern methods of design
works there is an opportunity of a flexible
combination of various types of the
equipment with reference to needs and
features of region and a kind of manufacture
(mobile or stationary basing and ways of
turbine waste heat removal).
I. INTRODUCTION
The northeast vector of Russia historical
movement
is
obvious
and
clearly
distinguished [1, 6].
The epoch of readily available deposits has
almost ended, for energy carriers it is
necessary to go to high breadthes, into
regions with heavy and even extreme naturegeographical conditions, under ices of Arctic
Ocean. The Russian North is the largest
resource base of the world. Perspective on oil
and gas are recognized 43 % of a land and 70
% of the area of a continental shelf of the
Russian Arctic regions are.
Independent (autonomous) power sources are
necessary at oil-and-gas branch in
The important economic advantage at use
SNPP is replacement of the organic power
resources burnt for own technological needs
Authors employees RRC «Kurchatov institute»,
Moscow, Russia (e-mail: [email protected]).
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extraction plants at the Arctic shelf will make
up to 90 MW.
(OTN) of extracting branches, by powerintensive nuclear fuel and an opportunity of
export release fuel on a foreign market.
Capacity of alternative SNPP will be used:
• For direct industrial needs (extraction,
processing, gas liquiation);
• Household consumption;
• At
stationary
settlements
for
improvement of quality of life - for
manufactures of food stuffs in the greenhouses, fish culture, sea-foods farms;
• And also for manufacture of, ecologically
clean secondary fuels - hydrogen, diethyl
ether, gasification of coal etc., which can
be used for needs of local transport
(automobile, small aircraft and small
water transport);
• At poor deposits for an intensification of
extraction
and
for
electron-beam
processing of heavy mineral oil and
nonconventional oils.
II. CONSOLIDATION OF NUCLEAR
AND OIL-GAS INDUSTRYES OF
RUSSIA:
WHAT DOES IT GIVE?
The global purpose of the consolidated
interaction of this power technologyes
appears as follows.
Near stage:
• Release of natural gas volumes used to
OTN for increase gas deliveries on
internal and foreign markets. Due to
introduction of the atomic power plant by
capacity 1 GW (e) there can be released
nearby 2 billion cube m of gas per year.
• Following stage: Innovative development
of nuclear technologies for: preparations
for transportation and transport of HCRM,
gas liquation, coal gasification, and also
for use SNPP at extraction and oil
refining; for replacement of natural gas in
processes of hydrogen production by
steam conversion of metane by production
of hydrogen from water.
Now the world market of liquid natural gas
(LNG) became the dynamical developing
market of hydrocarbonic energy carriers. In
Russia, as well as abroad, it is supposed the
most expedient to transport natural gas at a
liquid condition from the deposits located in
adverse for construction of gas pipelines
areas (in XXI century all the basic Russian
deposits will settle down in such areas:
Barents sea, a shelf of Kara sea, i. Sakhalin,
etc.).
Result: harmonization of development in the
country of raw sector and high technologies,
nuclear-hydrogen economy.
III. SPHERES OF THE SMALL NUCLEAR
POWER PLANTS APPLICATION
AT OIL AND GAS DEPOSITS
By estimations of experts at use of natural
gas as energy carrier for the liquafication
purposes it is required to spend from 20 up to
30 % of initial fuel. Therefore it is necessary
in the long term to consider manufacture
LNG in a tandem with nuclear power source,
that will allow to save burnt gas. Now for a
gas liquation plant capacity 40 thousand
t/year of LNG the charge of gas for the
liquiation purposes makes approximately 10
thousand t/year. Under the modern prices
sale of such volume of gas can provide
nearby 2 million $. The estimation shows,
that the economy of gas only on this process
will allow to pay back SNPP for 10 years,
and in view of a rise in prices to energy
carriers and an opportunity of reduction in
price of serial small NPP this term will still
be reduced.
As the North is the last resource pantry of a
planet, first of all here it is necessary to pass
to managing on principles of "sustainable
development”.
It
provides
economic
activities which do not break stability of
biosphere and keeps such volume of a
habitat, which is able to self-reproduce.
In any case, by development of a sea or
ground deposit, in an initial stage of
development for power sources with organic
fuel the imported one is required. With its
delivery there are significant difficulties and
the prices for it steadily grows. By
estimations [2] the installed power capacity
of power stations for sea oil and gas
88
Application of atomic energy instead of
burning organic fuels is itself not only
convenience, reliability and an economic
gain, but has also ecological advantages since
the urgency of reduction of emissions
nitrogen oxides and carbon oxide is highest.
Burning of poorly cleared and frequently the
crude hydrocarbonic raw material give
negative consequences for an environment.
Vulnerability of territories with a long-term
frozen ground demands extra care at their
development, especially at arrangement of an
infrastructure at initial stages.
infrastructure: for producing of energy,
telecommunications, connection, navigation,
automatics and a robotics. Therefore at the
North the reactors with properties of
increased safety possessing properties of
inherent safety should be used.
SNPP’s of new generation for powering of
the removed and remote regions should meet
following requirements [5]:
1. The highest level safety of operation,
guaranteeing on a physical and
technological level prevention of fission
products and harmful substances exit for
NPP boards in quantity, exceeding
admissible norms;
2. The high ecological compatibility
providing a minimum level of thermal,
radiating and chemical environmental
contamination;
3. High thermodynamic efficiency of heatto-electricity transformation (energy
conversion rate more 30 %) and the
minimal requirements of the power for
own needs (~1 %);
4. Maneuverable operating mode of SNPP;
5. Continuous work of reactor without
refueling more10 years;
6. Independence of water sources;
7. Assembly of reacror module at the matrix
plant "on a turn-key basis" during 2-3
years;
8. Transportability of reacror module delivery by all types of transport and/or
accommodation it on pneumowheel base;
9. Comprehensible specific capital costs (2 4 thousand $ per kW installed) and the
minimal terms of input to operation (from
0,5 - 1 year);
10. Minimum quantity of technicians at the
plant - an automatic or watch mode;
11. The
minimal
expenses
for
a
decommissioning, which is designed as
regular procedure.
The big damage to an environment is brought
also chisel installations: for example, for
maintenance of work of one oil installation
for a year it is burnt up to 1500 t of fuel, thus
it is every day spent up to 30 t of chemically
active chisel solutions. As a result in an
atmosphere is thrown out one year prior to 2 t
of hydrocarbons and soot, more than 30 t of
nitrogen oxides, 8 t of carbon oxides, 5 t of
sulphurous anhydride, a plenty of heavy
metals and so forth [1]. Influence on an
environment is great and at extraction of gas.
Therefore now the design organizations very
attentively concern to probable influence on
an environment already at designing of gas
crafts.
Attraction of SNPP will allow to lower
sharply influence of power supply objects on
an environment. SNPP with reactors of type
«nuclear battery» are ecologically clean
sources of the electric power and heat since
they do not have any operations with nuclear
fuel on a operation site, and, hence, it is not
formed firm and liquid radioactive wastes. At
operation of the atomic power plant also it is
not formed emissions of chemical or
polluting substances in environment. For
replacement of fuel the reactor or is
transported on the central specialized service
enterprise, or entirely replaced on new one
(similarly to replacement or additional charge
of a battery).
There are a lot of spheres of SNPP
application. The world market for
development of branch of small capacity
nuclear power units exists, also it quite
difenitely both on a level of capacity
{power}, and under requirements and
approaches in a safety.
IV. CHARACTERISTICS OF APPLIED
SNPP
Extreme conditions of the North demands
introduction of the high technologies and an
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underground or underwater accommodation,
and also as mobile on caterpillar or as a
pneumo-course (Figures 1, 2).
The units gather completely and equipped
with fuel at manufacturer. In the "undercritical" condition they are transported up to
the consumer. Site preparation under their
installation in comparison with stationary
power units demands much smaller time and
material inputs.
Fig.1. The operated sample of transportable.
The control and management of reactors can
be as automated by satellite - centralized, and
/or with watch mode service.
Nuclear Safety of nuclear batteries is
provided not only, and in basic not so much
by any special systems of the equipment and
devices, but mainly by special principles and
designing
methods.
Creation
of
corresponding
configurations
of
the
equipment elements, a choice of structure
and a composition of fuel, selection of
constructional materials and working body at
a level of physical natural processes and
properties of materials create the conditions
excluding occurrence catastrophic or fast
uncontrollable processes in reactor. It
became possible as a result of long scientific
researches and the practical experience,
saved up for all history of an atomic energy
use (both in peace, and in the military
purposes).
Fig.2. Project SNPP ABV-6 of SNPP TEC-3 of 1,5
МW capacity (1961, FEI) 4-10 МW capacity
(OKBM).
It is necessary to emphasize, that now while
perspective power sources projects are at a
stage of development, there is all
opportunities in the maximal image to
consider requirements of these future users:
on capacity level, on a ratio betwin of
thermal and electric energy, by quantity of
freshened water, on a maneuverability,
service life and continuous operation before
refueling, or an opportunity to carry out
refueling at specilized plant, etc.
Such ideology of SNPP inherent safety
maintenance cannot be designated with what
either concrete devices or engines, or in
digital sizes is a field of interaction of
physical laws with the means, having one
purpose - minimization of influence the
SNPP on an environment by determinally
exceptions of dangerous incidents under
reasonable cause and effect circumstances.
Individual thermal capacity of nuclear power
units are varies from 1 МW up to
approximately 150 МW, designed electric
capacity from 0,5 МW up to 50 МW.
The
variant
of
underwater
SNPP
accommodation essentially excludes such
external influences from the list of possible
accidents as falling of the plane, diversive
and military acts, natural cataclysms,
technogenic or transport accidents and
explosions, etc. Such way of SNPP
accommodation repeatedly increases security
of the population and an environment from
emergencies for the internal reasons.
Service life of power units can make from 10
years till 20-30 years (an operating time
without refueling) at general lifetime as 40 60 years.
Such power units can be created as in
floating mode and to be maintained in a
coastal zone, and in the form of suitable for
delivery by various types of transport (water,
automobile, air) and the further ground or
90
The recoupment of the project investments of
disel plant occurs for term in 1,4 times
greater at internal rate of profitableness of the
project by the end of service life of 0,78 %.
At low capital expenses the project has very
small (10-20 million rbl/year) positive
monetary streams. In these conditions
financial parameters of the project very
strongly depend on cost of fuel and tariffs for
energy. Even insignificant reduction of tariffs
or increase of fuel cost makes the project
unprofitable.
V. ESTIMATIONS OF SNPP ECONOMIC
COMPETITION
For an estimation of economic comparison if
use SNPP or traditional burnable power
sourcesа (thermal power stations) for oil-andgas crafts, it is possible to take into account
results of the research lead in RCC
“Kurchatov institute” for conditions of site
Ust-Kamchatsk at following parameters:
• Two-unit floating ATEC of capacity 2*6
MWe. and 2*12 Gkal/hour (reactor
ABV-6М), as the project of a high degree
readiness, are sutablt for coastal and sea
crafts;
• Or equal capacity diesel power station
with boiler-house with fuel charge of
264 g/kWh for of the electric power
producing and of 108 kg/Gkal.
Reduction in price of SNPP due to seriality is
possible. So on an example of power sources
for nuclear submarines it is established that
manufacturing of a series from above 7 - 9
pieces conducts to deprecication at least on
30 %. By the norms of reservation standard
in power industry and reliability of power
supply at a site 2 power units should be
maintained at least, as optimum - 3-4 power
units [3].
At the comparative analysis identical external
conditions are used: the volume of electric
power and heat output, tariffs on thermal and
electric energy, tax conditions, time horizon
of the project, etc. Calculations are executed
on the basis of data of the project developer
about cost of ATEC construction, data about
cost of energy carriers and tariffs at UstKamchatsk and the power consumption
forecast.
Any of opportunities of branches efforts
consolidation – are the scheme "build-ownoperate"; tenancy, leasing and a number of
other schemes of state-private partnership are
possible. They should be studied in view of a
developing conjuncture and changes in the
legislation for most effective utilization of
means.
Main lack of ATEC is its rather high cost. Its
advantages are shown in rather low
operational expenses, small requirements for
a employed capital and absence of large
seasonal expenses for purchase of fuel.
In case of SNPP leasing the "consumer"
receives in the full order produced thermal
and the electric power for all operation
lifetime which is supposed not less than 10
years of continuous work without chage of
nuclear fuel. And the company-owner will
receive energy under the cost price, stable
during all term of SNPP unit operation. After
scheduled service life the unit is taken away
from a site to recycling not creating
complexities for "consumer".
The small ATEC in comparison with a power
complex on organic fuel shows results of an
estimation of economic efficiency, that the
project ATEC has time of investments outlay
recovery on 30 % shorter (from the
beginning of construction); the internal rate
of profitableness by the end of service life
(50 years) will make 3,33 %. Significant
profitableness speaks about high financial
stability of the project (about 35 % of the
tariff) and high positive monetary streams
(the order 100 million rbl/year) at high
capital expenses (1257 million rbl.).
Speed of SNPP recoupment will be
determined by region of accommodation,
considering that at the removed or remote
areas 1 kWh cost is many times over above
than in the centralized power supply systems
is comprehensible. It is necessary to consider
also
profitableness
of
cogenerating
91
TABLE 1.
production received by means of energy from
SNPP which can exceed profitableness from
actually electric power and heat. In
particular, the plant of manufacture liquid
natural gas can become such integrated,
«cogenerating» manufacture, besides heat
and the electric power which will accelerate
SNPP recoupment and will bring the
additional income [5].
THE BASIC ECONOMIC PARAMETERS
OF FLOATING NUCLEAR POWER SUPPLAY
PLANTS AND NUCLEAR HEAT SUPPLY
PLANTS WITH REACTOR UNITS OF TYPE ABV
Power unit
characteristics
Electric
capacity, MW
Displacement,
tone
Construction
cost, million $
Term of
realization,
year
The cost
price:
the electric
power,
cent/kWh
Heat, $/Gkal
Time of
recovery of
outlay, year
Preliminary economic estimations show, that
specific capital costs of SNPP at a serial
production will be comprehensiv from the
nuclear power plants of high capacity, i.e. the
order 1000-2000 $ for installed kW [4].
Economic efficiency of floating SNPP is
provided due to: the flexible scheme of
construction in conditions of the shipbuilding plant, reduction in specific capital
costs, simplicity of removal from operation,
an opportunity of refueling of the floating
power unit at the specialized plant, small
metal consumption of used reactor units.
Delivery to a site of floating power unit
constructed industrially "on a turn-key
basis", tested and handed over an
industrially-developed zone, at the minimal
volume of build and maintenance works on a
site, allows to create autonomus nuclear
plants of various capacity level with
comprehensible economic efficiency.
Floating ATEC
with ABV-6
Floating ATEC
and AST with
ABV-3
Twoblock
Oneblock
12
6
2,5
(AST)
3700
2300
1600
1500
63,9
36,4
27,2
22,4
(AST)
5
4
4
4
One-block
8,0
8,0
12,0
18,5
20,0
29,0
31,5
4-5 (unde tariff for the electric
power - 20 cent/kWh, heat power 50-55 $/Gkal)
VI. TECHNICAL PRACTICABILITY
In Russia the big practical experience of
SNPP designing and operation on a basis of
ice breakers and submarines engines is saved
up.
There is a plenty of SNPP projects - up to 50
MWe. Among them are most known KLT40C, ABV-6 (pressurised water type);
RUTA, ELENA (water with natural
circulation); ANGSTREM, TES-M, SVBR75/100 and SVBR-10 (the lead-bismuth
coolant), for which their is good readiness for
practical realization.
For use at SNPP, including a floating
execution, developers of the reactor units
(RU) the wide spectrum of projects with a
various degree technologies development is
offered. The basic technical and economic
parameters of floating SNPP are presented in
Table 1.
Such projects of the floating SNPP already
draw attention of the island states of Pacific
region and the countries of the Near East, and
also China and India. There they intend for
use as sea water desalters. The export
potential of this nuclear technology is great if
to consider that now the basic consumers of
the freshened water are concentrated at the
Near East (70 %), in the Europe (10 %), in
Africa (6,3 %) and the market in due course
will extend only.
At a number of projects the most studied
both mastered constructive decisions and
technology of VVER type reactors and
nuclear ice breakers which service-ability is
confirmed by long-term experience of
successful operation (6 000 reactor-years) are
used. In comparison with installationsprototypes of change in the mane equipment
and systems do not carry basic character and
RU creation is possible without additional
92
Small Nuclear power sources are the
innovative hi-tech branch, combining
capacity, long reliability, high nuclear,
radiating and ecological safety. An
investment in it now and, that so
consolidation of petro-gas and nuclear
branches, will allow to have in the future
strong, divercified power basis of extracting
branch.
R&D, manufacturing and tests of the fullscale demonstration sample.
The Russian operational experience with
Pb+Bi coolant is most unique, its technology
is well studied and mastered on reactors of
nuclear submarines (about 30 years) and test
facilities (more than 40 years). There is an
extensive experience of development,
creation and operation of reactors with
liquid-metall collant Pb+Bi with reference to
RU of nuclear submarines (about 80 reactoryears).
VIII.
[1] Golubchikov S.N., Yerokhin S.V. Russian North
on crisis of epoch. М.: Publishing house "Pasva",
2003. - 240 p.
[2] Prokopenko Ju.G. “Power supplying of objects of
sea oil-and-gas deposits” in Proceedings of the
Meeting “Condition and prospects development
of sea oil-and-gas deposits”, М.: Open Company
"VNIIGAZ". 2003. p. 183-186
[3] Krivitsky I.S. “A definition of the top border
capacity range of small nuclear power plants”,
Power construction №6, 1995г.- p. 53-56
[4] Ivanova I.J., Tuguzova T.F., Popov S.P., Petrov
N.A. Small power industry of the North:
Problems and ways of development. Novosibirsk: Science, 2002.-188 p.
[5] Schepetina T.D., Stukalov V.A., Subbotin S.A.
«About small nuclear power and its future », The
bulletin on atomic energy, November, 11, 2003.
[6] Krupnov Yu.V. Russia between the West and the
East. A rate the Northeast. Neva, 2003.
At Russia the potential of the machinebuilding industry and the nuclear fuel cycle
was still kept, allowing to carry out all cycle
of manufacture and operation of the SNPP.
VII.
REFERENCES
CONCLUSION
As a result it is possible to emphasize, that
application SNPP for power supply of
extracting complexes provides convenient
power supplay during the starting period
when traditional power units operate
exclusively with imported fuel which price
steadily grows. SNPP provide manufacture
of the electric power, heat-power and fresh
water
in
necessary
quantities
and
proportions, and at constant costs for all time
of its continuous work. Estimations show,
that for conditions of northern and remote
regions cost of energy from a nuclear source
essentially below than from organic fuel, and
below than purchased energy at Russian
Open Society "RAO EES of Russia".
IX. BIOGRAPHIES
Pavel N. Alekseev, chief of
department,
was
born
in
Millerovo, Rostov region, Russia,
on March 3, 1949. He graduated
Moscow
State
Engineering
Physics Institute on 1972. (Email: [email protected]).
At base operation SNPPs allows to liberate
the gas spent for own technological needs for
its export to foreign market.
Stanislav Subbotin was born in
Vladimir on April 09, 1949. He
graduate from Moscow Physics Engineering Institute on 1972
year. After that he work in IPPE
until 1976 and on Kurchatov
Institute up now. (E-mail:
[email protected]).
SNPP are mobile power sourcess - floating or
transportable, they can be transferred, if it is
required, into those places where energy is
required.
SNPP are capable to work with one fuel
loading of 10 and more years, their operation
will be carried out by the special personnel of
nuclear branch and upon termination of
service life they will come back to the
specialized plants for recycling.
Tatyana D. Schepetina was born
in Podolsk, Russia, on October
27, 1954. Graduated the Moscow
Power Engineering Institute on
1977.
(E-mail:
[email protected]).
93