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EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
C o mmunit y Researc h
Innovative
Concepts
Towards cleaner, safer and competitive
generation of nuclear energy
The availability of secure, sustainable and competitive sources of energy is essential
to economic growth, prosperity and quality of life in Europe. The European Union is
faced with some important challenges in its efforts to guarantee the availability of
energy supply whilst maintaining a high standard of environmental protection. Energy
consumption and fuel imports in the EU are steadily increasing (EU dependence on fuel
imports presently stands at 50% and will rise to 70% in the next 20 to 30 years).
Combating climate change appears to be more difficult than originally foreseen. These
were the starting points of the Green Paper “Towards a European strategy for the security of energy supply”, which was presented in 2000 by the European Commission.
Nuclear power has an important role in this debate and will remain open to those Member
States which consider it to be an option.
The potential of innovative concepts for safer exploitation of nuclear fission is being
studied as a possible contribution to meeting European energy needs in the decades
ahead. These new concepts would use fissile material more efficiently and generate
less waste, thereby reducing disposal.
EURATOM
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Nuclear Power Plant
Vandellós II (Tarragona)
Source: Foro Nuclear, Spain
Background
State of the art
The Green Paper on security of energy supply, presented
in 2000 by the European Commission, included nuclear
energy as part of the debate on Europe’s security of
supply. The conclusion was that nuclear energy should be
kept as an option for the future.
In the EU, electricity is produced from nuclear energy in
thermal reactors (mostly water-cooled and some
gas-cooled). Only a small percentage of the fuel is burnt
in thermal reactors. The fuel burnt to produce energy
contains mainly uranium, some plutonium and other
radionuclides.
There are more than 140 nuclear reactors in the EU, safely
and competitively producing 35% of its electricity.
As nuclear energy does not produce CO2, emissions which
contribute to global warming are reduced by about 300
million tons per year. This is equivalent to half of all
emissions from cars on EU roads.
Given the present rate of consumption using existing
reactor technology, the conventional known reserves of
uranium world-wide will cover requirements for the next
40-60 years. These reserves could be extended to 200-300
years, if uranium extracted from phosphates is taken into
account.
The Green Paper indicated that the EU should support
research on future reactors in order to maintain its leading
position in the field of civil nuclear technology and to
retain the necessary expertise.
The spent fuel can either be declared as waste or
reprocessed to separate the fissile materials (uranium and
plutonium) from the waste. Waste from reprocessing is
then embedded in very stable glass blocks. In both cases,
non-reprocessing or reprocessing, the waste is stored with
a view to final disposal.
Reprocessed uranium and plutonium can be recycled as
MOX (mixed oxide) fuel in water-cooled reactors.
Recycling enables the saving of energy resources (in this
case fissile materials), stabilisation of the production of
plutonium, while producing energy, and a decrease in the
radiotoxicity of the waste to be disposed of.
Some of the countries in the EU producing electricity by
nuclear energy have chosen to reprocess their spent fuel
and others not.
Reactors that use the fuel more effectively, eg fast neutron
reactors and high temperature gas cooled reactors have
been tested in full-scale operations but have not been
developed industrially. A renewed interest in these types
of reactors is now evident world wide, e.g. in the initiative
on Generation IV launched by the United States.
Reprocessing Plant Sellafield, UK
Source: BNFL
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Rationale and objectives
for future RTD
To further improve the sustainability of nuclear power:
- the issues concerning management of radioactive waste
must be properly addressed. According to a recent
Eurobarometer opinion poll, 65% of Europeans would be
ready to accept nuclear energy in the future if the waste
could be safely managed,
In order that nuclear fission contributes in a sustainable
way to the energy supply in Europe in the coming
decades, research should focus on innovative nuclear
energy systems, which better use natural resources,
produce less waste and are more economic, competitive
and safer.
Source: Framatome- ANP
- as only a small percentage of the available uranium
resources is used in today’s reactors, improved use
of fissile material would increase the duration of its
availability.
Engineers designing
the core of a future reactor
RTD priorities for FP6
• One of the most promising concepts is the High
Temperature Reactor (HTR). The studies initiated in
the 5th FP should be continued further.
• Other innovative concepts that offer long term benefits
in terms of safety, environmental impact, resource
utilisation and proliferation resistance should be
studied, as well as applications of the heat produced
such as hydrogen production. Like electricity, hydrogen
is an energy carrier, which could be used for e.g. fuel
cells.
• The potential of the more efficient use of fissile material
in existing reactors (higher burn-ups), and other
concepts for producing less waste in nuclear energy
generation should also be explored.
• The concepts to be investigated have been identified by
the MICANET Network. The roadmaps for developing
innovative systems will be established in co-operation
with the American Generation-IV initiative for the
development of nuclear fission reactors of the 4th
generation, which will be available for large-scale
commercial deployment before 2030.
European added-value
Expertise is necessary today to keep existing nuclear
installations in operation and tomorrow to develop more
efficient nuclear fission systems, when they are needed.
Research on innovative concepts will also attract young
scientists, who will safeguard the expertise in nuclear
fission energy in the EU.
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Three categories of projects can be distinguished in the
area “safety and efficiency of future systems” of the
nuclear fission key action within the 5th FP (1998-2002):
• A thematic network, MICANET, addressing the competitiveness and sustainability of nuclear energy in the
European Union;
• Nine research projects related to High Temperature
Reactors (HTRs) and a European Network HTR-TN;
• Four other projects assessing the state of the art and
R&D needs of other reactor concepts and other
applications of nuclear energy. These include Molten
Salt Reactors, Gas Cooled Fast Reactors and
Supercritical Light Water Reactors, and the potential
for using nuclear energy for water desalination.
MICANET
The Michelangelo Network, MICANET, aims to provide an
R&D strategy to keep the option of nuclear fission energy
open in the 21st Century in Europe.
High Temperature Reactor (HTR)
A number of HTRs were in operation through the 1960's
and 1970's and were subsequently abandoned. Today,
there is a renewed interest in this reactor concept due to
its inherent safety features, its potential for use in high
temperature industrial processes and the possibility of
using direct cycle gas turbines. Two research reactors are
now in operation, HTTR in Japan and HTR-10 in China.
Elsewhere, two prototypes are developed, PBMR in South
Africa and GT-MHR in the USA with international
co-operation involving Russia.
The research projects together with the HTR-TN European
Network are addressing the main technical issues to be
solved before HTRs are used to produce energy on an
industrial scale: fuel technology, fuel cycles, waste,
reactor physics, materials, components, systems, safety
approach and licensing issues.
Its partners are the main European industrial companies
and research organisations involved in nuclear energy.
Control Rod
Drive/Refueling
Penetrations
The Network is identifying R&D needs and establishing
roadmaps for developing innovative reactors and fuel
cycles.
Generator
Turbine
MICANET has also established a European partnership
with the American Generation IV initiative.
Recuperator
Annular
Reactor core
Steel Reactor
Vessel
Compressor
Fragmented HTR coated fuel
particle.
Source: FZ Jülich, Forschungszentrum,
Jülich, Germany
Shutdown heat
Exchanger
Intercooler
Precooler
Shutdown
Circulator
GT - MHR, General Layout (gas turbine modular helium reactor)
Source: Framatome - ANP
For further information:
More information on the framework programme activities can be found on the Cordis web-site http://www.cordis.lu/fp5-euratom/home.html
as well as the Europa web-site http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/energy/fi/fi_en.html
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Overview of current
EU RTD Actions