TMSR Project of CAS - thoriumenergyalliance.comTMSR Project of CAS TMSR ---Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Nuclear Energy System. Mission of the project: • R&D of molten salt reactor

TMSR Project of CAS

Xiaohan Yu, TMSR Research Center, CAS

Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Jialuo Road 2019, Jiading, Shanghai 201800, China

UCB, Mar. 18, 2012

2012/03/12 Xiaohan Yu

OUTLINE Overview of the CAS TMSR Project

Mission of the Project TMSR Center, CAS

Main Activities in 2011

The Future of TMSR Project Thorium Utilization

Energy for Reducing Co2 What We Want to Do?





The Future of TMSRProject Thorium Utilization



Nuclear Energy in China Nuclear energy only consist of about 1% of the primary

energy in China, the installed capacity of nuclear power plant is about 10GW in 2011.

China's will "actively promote the development of nuclear power". It is estimated that the ratio of nuclear energy in primary enery will increase to 5% with installed capacity reach 80GW by 2020.

Precently, nuclear-power technologies as well as key components of power plants in China are mainly imported, from several countries. Nuclear power technology should be developed rapidly in China.


Nuclear Energy Research in CAS China's first power plant (QinShan-I) started in Shanghai

Institute of Nuclear Research, CAS. After that, the CAS stay away from the fission energy field for about 30 years. The CAS decide to engage in the R&D of fission energy again.

Under the approval of the Central Government, CAS initiated “Innovation 2020” program and deployed first group of four "Strategetic Pioneer Sci.&Tech". Projects in the begining of 2011. One of them is “advanced nuclear fission energy of tomorrow”, which includes TMSR and ADS. aimed to "sustainable fuel supply" and "nuclear waste management".


TMSR Project of CAS TMSR ---Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Nuclear

Energy System. Mission of the project:

• R&D of molten salt reactor technologies for Thorium utilization. • R&D of technologies for multipurpose application of nuclear

energy, with emphasis on low C energy. Events

• Jan. 2011: TMSR proposal was approved by CAS. • May 2011: TMSR Research Center was established in Shanghai

Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP), CAS. • Sept. 2011: The research plan and buget for the first 5 years have

been aproved.


Five year goal The 5 year goal of TMSR project includes two

parts:

Build experimental reactors for R&D of TMSR technologies. (Identify critical issues, test reactor design, test key components etc...)

Built up R&D abilities (include research conditions, key techniques and research team etc.) for future TMSR deveopment.


Five year goal: R&D Abilities

of TMSR reactor design and development. • Reactor core design: neutron physics, thermal hydraulics... • Engineering design and construction. • Key tecnologies and components.

of salt production technique and molten salt loop techniques.

• Separation of 7Li. • Purification of fluoride salt. • Design and construction of molten salt loops. • Development of key components for molten salt loop.



of Th/U fuel techonology, both in the front end and back end of fuel cycle.

• Production of nuclear-grade Thorium fuel (both fluoride and oxide). • Online chemical separation of actinides and fission product. • Offline process for chemical separation.

of materials for TMSRs. • Production, processing and testing of structure materials TMSR

(Hastalloy-N, Graphite etc.). • carbon-based structure materials and components for TMSR • Effect and mechanism of material degrading under service condition.



of developing safety codes and licensing .

of developing systems for multiple applicationof high temperature energy.

• High temperature electrolysis for hydrogen production. • Methanol synthesis by CO2+H2 • Front end of Brayton power conversion cycle. • Molten salt based solar heat collection.


TMSR Center Board of TMSRBoard of TMSR

SINAP

International Advisory Committee

Science and Technology Advisory Committee

Center of TMSRCenter of TMSR

CASCAS

SupportingSupportingfacilitiesfacilities

Reactor PhysicsAnd Engineering

Reactor Phys.

Reactor Phys.

Reactor E

xp.R

eactor Exp.

Reactor Structure

Reactor Structure

Reactor C

ontrol andR

eactor Control and

Digital R

eactorD

igital Reactor

Chemistry and Engineering of Molten Salts

Therm

otechnicalT

hermotechnical

Molten Salts C

ircle M

olten Salts Circle

System

System

Properties of Molten

Properties of Molten

SaltSalt

Molten Salts R

efiningM

olten Salts Refining

Radioactive Chemistry

and EngineeringReactor C

hem.

Dry-process

Dry-process

Wet-process

Wet-process

Radiochem

istry R

adiochemistry

FacilitiesFacilities

Radiation chem

istryR

adiation chemistry

Nuclear Materialsand Engineering

Alloy technique

Alloy technique

Nuclear graphite

Engineering Physics

Engineering Physics

of Materials

of Materials

Irradiation and Irradiation and corrosioncorrosion

New

Materials

New

Materials

Nuclear Safety and Engineering

Nuclear critical Safety

Nuclear critical Safety

Radiation and

Radiation and

Environm

entE

nvironment

Wastes Processing

Wastes Processing

AdministrationAdministration OfficeOffice

DIVISIONsDIVISIONs

Phys. of Th-U Fuel

TMSR Physics

TMSR Engineering

Platform of TMSR Design

Platform of TMSR Exp.

Producing of ThF4Chemical Process in

TMSROn-line Dry-process

Wet-process of Fuel

Platform of Fuel Circle

Nuclear Safety

Radiation Safety

Wastes ProcessingNuclear Health and

EnvironmentResearch Platform

Producing and Chemistry

Processing and Refining Circle System and thermotechnical

Platform of Producing and Refining

Exp. Platform of Molten Salts Circle System

Thermoelectric conversion

Engineering Physics of Materials

Structural Materials

Other TMSR Materials Fabricating and

Processing platform Evaluating and Testing

platform High temperature

electrolysis

SINAP

SIOC

CIAC

SIC

SARI

IMR

GroupsGroups


CAS Institutes Involved in TMSR Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) Take resposible of the whole project. Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry R&D of 7Li isotope separation technologies, purified to 99.995%. Shanghai Advanced Research Institute R&D of technologies for purified fluoride salt (FLiBe) productio. R&D on high temperature electolysis, Brayton cycle. Institute of Metal Research R&D on fabrication and processing of TMSR structure materials. Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry R&D on Thorium fuel production.


TMSR team at SINAP (Nov. 2011)

32

60

6516

16

79

依托单位TMSR队伍来源(共268人)Team Composition (268 people in total)

Graduate Students From SSRF

From Basic Science Field

Emeriti

Part-Time

New Hired

Now 336 people in SINAP and 96 people in other Institutes


TMSR Team Planning Name Y2015 Y2020

Reactor Physics And Engineering 130 300

Chemistry and Engineering of Molten Salts

112+53 400

Radioactive chemistry and Engineering 128+12 350

Nuclear Materials and Engineering 100+45 200

Nuclear Safety and Engineering 100 150

Supporting facilities 50 60

Administrative Staffs 20 40

TOTAL 750 1500


Activities of TMSR Center in 2011

Established research team, recruit manpower and training.

Set up laborotaries and establish research conditions.

Start Conceptual design of TMSR Start R&D on some key technologies. Start international cooperation


Design Platform

Computing Center for TMSR Design

Goal after 3 years： Calculating speed：160 trillion

/s (Rpeak) Storage capability：1PB

2011： Calculating speed：40 trillion /s Storage capability：400TB


Design Platform

Reactor core design

MCNP+Origen WIMSD+SN

CITATION

DRAGON+NTACM DRAGON+CINSF Transient

analysis

RiskSpectrum

NGFM

CASMO-SIMULATE3

FMTCHK、HSICC、GTOL、 RAOLST、ENSDAT

RELAP

ANSYS

FEMAP

NJOY

NuclearData evaluation processing

FLUENT

SOLIDEDGE, AUTOCAD

Mechanics Thermal hydraulics

Safty analysis

TMSR design and analysis

Based on Further development of

commercial available codes.

熔盐堆物理分析和优化框架


Conceptual Design of the Experimental Reactor

Power: 2MW Salt: LiF-BeF2-U(Th)F4 Reactor core size:

～Φ 140cm×160cm Out let temperature：~660 ℃


Structure design

Plan A：square

直径 33 高

电池间维护车间

维护操作室

废液室

储存间

净化室燃料处理室

公用室

办公室

排放罐室

燃料盐储存罐排放罐1 排放罐2 冲洗罐热交换器热屏冷却盐排放罐

冷却泵

反应堆

燃料泵

特别设

备间

通风管

维护隧道

中子探测管

通风排

放间

化学

实验室

φ

φ

入口


Neutronics Negative temperature reactivity coefficient

Action of control rod when stop pump

Transient analysis of natural circle

Distribution of delayed neutron precursor

Reactivity analysis when insert activity

Action of control rod when start pump


Thermal Hydraulic Analysis

冷凝器

给水箱

汽包

蒸汽管路

排气管道

熔盐罐

冷却塔

水塔

Passive decay heat removal

pressure distribution

Analysis of flew field inside the reactor vessel


Nuclear data evaluation and process Established procedure for evaluating and processing neutron cross-

section used in TMSR. Neutron data：232,233,234Th、232,233,234Pa、232,233,234U activation section：233Pa (n,γ)234gPa、 233Pa (n,γ)234mPa、233Th(n, γ) Decay data：233,234Th、233,234,234mPa

233Th β-, T1/2= 22.3m, ENDSF: 21.83m Nucl.Wallet Card


Molten Salt Chemistry 1 6Li/7Li extraction Established Laboratory Synthesize more than 20 new

Extractants separation factor ：EZ-01，α = 1.012 EZ-02，α = 1.019


Molten Salt Chemistry 2

Molten salts preparation Establish laboratory for Molten salts

preparation FLiNaK：melting point: 456-458℃; oxygen

content: 100-500ppm

HF +M2O

NH4F HForMOHM2CO3

MF

M = Li, Na, K

MOH MFNH4HF2 +

产率: >90%纯度: >99.9%

M = Li, Na, K


Experimental Platform for Molten salt Thermal Hydraulic study


Materials Alloy made in Lab. according to composition of Hastalloy-N

编号 Cr Fe Mo Si C Mn Al+Ti Cu Co W B O N P S

手册

6/8

＜5

15 /17 ＜1 ＜

0.08 ＜0.8 ＜0.35 ＜0.35 ＜0.2 ＜0.5 尽量低（ppm）

1# 7.5

4.2 16.4 0.02 0.032 0.4 0.11 0.02 ＜0.02 ＜0.02 ＜0.02 ＜8 9 5 13 8

2# 7.5

4.0 16.4 0.02 0.041 0.44 0.14 0.01 ＜0.02 ＜0.02 ＜0.02 ＜8 9 12 14 8

3# 7.5

4.3 16.6 0.02 0.055 0.44 0.15 0.01 ＜0.02 ＜0.02 ＜0.02 ＜8 9 6 15 14

Extensive tests on the lab. made alloy and Hastelloy-N indicate that the lab. made alloy has the same performance as Hastelloy-N, such as corrosion, tensile property and stress rupture porperty etc.


Organizational Overview The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and U.S. Department of Energy

(DOE) Nuclear Energy Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

MOU Executive Committee Co-Chairs China – Mianheng Jiang (CAS) 江绵恒

U.S. – Pete Lyons (DOE)

Nuclear Fuel Resources – Zhimin Dai (SINAP, CAS) 戴志敏 Biao Jiang (SARI,CAS) 姜标 – Phil Britt (ORNL) John Arnold (UC-Berkeley)

Molten Salt Coolant Systems – Hongjie Xu (SINAP, CAS) 徐洪杰 Weiguang Huang (SARI,CAS) 黄伟光 – Cecil Parks (ORNL) Charles Forsberg (MIT)

Technical Coordination Co-Chairs China – Zhiyuan Zhu (CAS) 朱志远

U.S. – Stephen Kung (DOE)

Nuclear Hybrid Energy Systems * – Zhiyuan Zhu (CAS) 朱志远 Yuhan Sun (SARI,CAS) 孙予罕 – Steven Aumeier (INL)

* Work scope governed by DOE-CAS Science Protocol Agreement

SINAP :Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics SARI: Shanghai Advanced Research Institute ORNL: Oak Ridge National Laboratory INL: Idaho National Laboratory MIT: Massachusetts Institute of Technology UC-Berkeley: University of California at Berkeley





The Future of TMSR Project Thorium Utilization



China's Nuclear Fuel Sustainability?

China's proven deposits of uranium is 170,000 tons, about 3% of the world's total. (data from WNA)

In 2010, 95% of Uranium ore used was imported from other country.

R&D efforts: • Fussion energy research, long time effort. • Fast neutron reactor. Experimental reactor at

China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIEA). • Thorium utilization. for example, TMSR Project

at CAS.


About Thorium

Unlike other energy sources, China’s reserves of Thorium, may ensure the major domestic energetic supply for many centuries to come. For instance the whole China’s today electricity (3.2 Trillion kWh/year) could be produced during ≈20’000 years by well optimized Th reactors and 8,9 million ton of Th, a by-product of the China's REE basic reserves.

CONCLUSION –C.Rubia

Thermal region Fast region

η = 2

Liquid sodium

Resonance (super thermal) region

Molten salt Possible Th232/U233 methods

only fast neutron is suitable to U238/Pu239

Liquid lead

China has much higher reserves of Th than U.


Reactors Well Suited for Th Fuel Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs): Very well suited for

thorium fuels High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTRs): Well suited

for thorium-based fuels. Fast Neutron Reactors (FNRs): Thorium can serve as a fuel

component, but no advantage compared to U238. Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs): These reactors are still at the

design stage, but will be very well suited for using thorium as a fuel. (fully recycled)

The use of thorium as a new primary energy source has been a tantalizing prospect for many years. Extracting its latent energy value in a cost-effective manner remains a challenge, and will require considerable R&D investment. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf62.html


Previous Practice of Th Utilization in China

Heavy Water Reactor: QinShan Phase III import 2 CANDU-6. Exploit Thorium fuel by international cooperation. Build 2 Th reactor sets.

High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTRs): HTRs developed by TsingHua University(PB-HTGR) has attemped to use Th-U fuel.


CO2 Problem of China

China has become one of the countries with highest CO2 emmision.

China fase high enviroment pressure of CO2 emmision. The Government promised to reduce the CO2 emmision of unit GDP by 40-45% by 2020, compared to 2005.



Clean Energy?


The CAS has made a lot of effort in "high efficiency and low CO2 emmision utilization of coal". Coal to Liquid (CTL)/Coal to Chemicals (CTC)


Carbon Neutral Cycle

1. Carbon neutral cycle is one way to solve energy and environment problems. 2. Methanol producing from CO2 and H2 is the key technology. 3. Hydrogen should get from clean energy. 4. The efficiency of methanol production from CO2 should be improved.


Hydrogen Production

Goal of Hydrogen Economy

Typical high-temperature electrolysis cell configuration


The Opportunities Nuclear Energy


What We Want to DO? Nuclear Energy、Hydrogen、Methanol


MSRs: the reactors of choice

Back to the Mission of TMSR project: R&D of molten salt reactor technologies for

Thorium utilization. R&D of technologies for multipurpose application

of nuclear energy, with emphasis on low C energy. High temperature and high temperature stability, high power.

Molten salt reactors are good Choice.


MSR Family


AHTR (FHR) - will come sooner?


TMSRs to be Considered Fuel cycle Once through (open)：U ,

Th fuel。 Once through cycle with

high temperature reactors. Modified open cyle：Deep-

burn concept (one-, two-, or multiple-pass), U, Th fuel, higher conversion ratio and fuel utility ratio.

Full recycle (fully closed)：very high conversion ratio or breeding?。

(Pebble-bed) AHTR: for high temperature NE and Intermediate goal for Th

utilization.

MSR, More challenging: Ultimate goal for Th utilization and high

temperature NE


Site Plan of TMSR New Energy Park （Dafeng）

Seawater Desalination

Methanol Production

Electrolysis

Brayton Cyc.

Nuclear Energy Zone

2MWTMSRs

100MWTMSRs

1GW+TMSRs

Online Reprocessing

Th

H2O

Electricity

H2

H2O

O2Coal

CO2

Methanol、CO

Grid

H2Pipe

Gasoline Prod.

Alkene Prod.

Ethanol Prod.

Water Supply

Elec.

H2

Ethanol

Gasoline

Alkene

O2-Rich Coal Power

New Energy Research Park at Dafeng

TMSR Basic Research Park at SINAP


CSP using Molten Salt- before TMSRs are Available

Concentrating Solar Power are developing rapidly in China. Several industrial project are being constructed in nothwest China, regions with rich solar power and sparse population.

Working media: oil Purpose: Generate electricity Problems of CSP: Stability? Energy

Storage? In this project, we will exploit molten salt CSP as primary energy for

Carbon Neutral Cycle, rather than for electricity. Molten Salt CSP near coal power plant?


Hydrogen Production by High temperature SOEC Experimental platform in SINAP

Goal of Hydrogen Economy

We cooperate with a group from Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, CAS. We are designing a 30 unit cells SOEC stack module for small scale HTE research. The stack will be installed and tested in soon. Target of the project: 50KW HTE Methanol Production: 1Kg/hour Period: 2012-2015


Thank you for your

attention!

Documents

TMSR Project of CAS - thoriumenergyalliance.comTMSR Project of CAS TMSR ---Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Nuclear Energy System. Mission of the project: • R&D of molten salt reactor