New Designs and Current Status: What AECL Offers Now and in the Future

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New Designs and Current StatusWhat AECL Offers
Now and in the Future

• Romney B. Duffey
• YGN Workshop, San Francisco
• May 16, 2006
• duffeyr_at_aecl.ca
• www.aecl.ca

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CANDU??????????? CANDU Type Reactors in the World
?????????????,???????43?CANDU???, 7??? 43 CANDU
type reactors built and 6 under construction
(including similar designs localized in India)
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What AECL offers now

• Canada supplies over 50 of the energy imported
  into the USA (oil, gas, electricity)
• Canada supplies 30 of the worlds uranium,
  much of it to the USA
• MDS Nordion - AECL are the largest suppliers of
  medical isotopes in North America (over 80,000
  treatments/day)
• AECL competes for and has successfully built more
  reactors in more countries in the last ten years
  than any other vendor
• AECL offers proven performance, safe operation,
  high reliability, operations support, new builds,
  and value realization
• All this, and Mounties too !!

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????CANDU-6?????Schematic Diagram of Qinshan
CANDU-6 Plant
????? Steam Generators (4)
??????? Nuclear Steam Supply System
?????? Turbine-Generator
?? Grid
????? Moderator (in Calandria)
?????? Coolant Circulation Pumps(4)
????? Reactor Core
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CANDU new build is Competitive.without
subsidies(Source Ontario Power Authority, 2005,
www.powerauthority.on.ca)
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Bruce A Refurbishment Project

• Replace steam generators and fuel channels
• Refurbish other nuclear and non-nuclear systems
• Refuel, restart and operate Units 1 2 for up to
  30 years
• Potential refurbishment of Units 3 4
• Potentially use new fuel design to enhance safety
• Bruce A Hourly Power Price 50/MWh (each unit
  750 MW)

Source www.Bruce Power.com
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NowReactor Systems have improved
- CANDU 6
0
gt40
400
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AECL/Partners Recent Track Record for New-Build
a major achievement
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Qinshan Phase III Set New Records
Qinshan Phase III 2 x 728 MWe CANDU 6 In-service
dates Unit 1 on 2003 Dec 31, Unit 2 on 2003 Jul
24. Average capacity factor of both units in
their first year operation gt 90

• Shorten Project Schedule to commercial operation
  
• 43 days for Unit 1
• 112 days for Unit 2

• Achieve World Records
• Slipforming Unit 1 18 days
• Slipforming Unit 2 14 days
• FC installation Unit 1 69 days
• FC installation Unit 2 64 days
• SG installation 8 hours
• Pressurizer installation 8 hours

Reduce Cost 2.5 billion RMB or 10 reduction of
specific cost per Kw installed 1.5 billion RMB
early income for TQNPC
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CANDU 6 Operations Todays Track Record

• Operating experience of all CANDU 6 plants has
  been world class
• Latest generation CANDU 6 units achieved average
  lifetime Capacity Factor above 91
• Top 3 CANDU 6 units achieved 96 Capacity Factor
  for 2004

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NextReactor Systems are still improving
- ACR
400
0
gt40
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??CANDU???? Retain Proven CANDU Strengths
??????????????? Two independent passive fast
shutdown system
????????? Modular Horizontal Fuel Channel Core
?????????????? Separate Low Temperature
Pressure Heavy Water Moderator
????? On-power Fuelling
?????? Simple fuel bundle
??????????????? Reactor vault filled with
shielding water surrounding the core
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ACR-1000???????Key Innovative Features of
ACR-1000

• ACR-1000 ??????, ?????????????
• ACR-1000 incorporates design innovation and merge
  good features of both pressurized heavy and light
  water reactors

• ?????????????Use SEU fuel ( 2U-235) and light
  water coolant
• ???????????? Compact core less heavy water
• ACR-1000,????1100MWACR-1000, producing 1100MWe
  (net)
• ??????????????? ??? Higher reactor coolant
  pressure ( 11.1 MPa) and secondary steam
  temperature and pressure ( 275.5 oC / 5.9 MPa)
• ?????????????Enhanced inherent safety features
  and improved performance

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ACR Compact Core Design

• Reduced lattice pitch
• Fewer feeders per megawatt
• Reduced heavy water inventory
• Flat core neutron flux with increased stability
• Increased safety margins via optimized power
  profile and reactivity coefficients

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ACR 1000 Reactor Assembly
Reactivity Mechanisms Deck
Calandria Vault
Calandria Relief Duct
Reactivity Unit Thimbles
Moderator Outlet Header
Moderator Inlet Header
End Shield
Calandria
Fuel Channel End Fittings
Calandria Support and Embedment
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???????Designed for High Performance

• ??????95 year to year capacity factor 95
• ???????gt90 lifetime includes mid-life
  re-tubing gt90
• ?????????? 21 day outage duration
• ?????????? 3 year planned outage frequency
• ????????? lt1.5 forced outage 1.5 per year

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Modules in the Reactor Building Integrated
into design, manufacturing, and construction
schedule
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ACR-1000?????? Key Safety
Enhancements

• ???????? Small negative coolant-void reactivity
• ECC ??????????? Increased reliability and
  effectiveness of the ECC system
• ?????????????? Two independent passive safety
  shutdown systems.
• ???????? More passive heat sinks
• ?????? Four quadrant separation design

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Safety and Licensing Requirements

• Improved separation and redundancy of safety
  systems
• Robust steel-lined reactor building structure to
  address evolving safety and security licensing
  basis -- aircraft crash etc.
• Core damage and large release mitigation going
  beyond international standard for advanced plants
• Total severe core damage frequency standard lt
  10-5/ reactor-y
• ACR-1000 frequency for internal events lt3 x
  10-7/ reactor-years
• Enhanced resistance to severe core damage through
  passive mitigation such as passive makeup to
  moderator and shield tank heat sinks
• Plant design meets all Canadian regulations,
  codes and standards including forthcoming CNSC
  Design Requirement Document
• Meets IAEA standards e.g. for safeguards, single
  failure criterion

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A Viable Future Generation Scenario
Gas 4,000 MW
Nuclear New Build (ACR/C6) 5,440 MW
Renewables 1,500 MW
Refurbishment 11,760 MW
Existing Coal Removed by 2007
Note All Coal out by 2007 all units
refurbished 50 nuclear share maintained
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Oil Sands demand and extraction are growing
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Nuclear Power Applicability for Oil Sands
Extraction

• AECL performed site-specific studies to build
  C6/ACR in northern Alberta in a co-gen
  steam/electricity configuration.
• The studies found that C6/ACR energy is
  technically feasible and economically competitive
  to use for Oil Sands application

• Reactor size is suitable for Oil Sands
  application
• Can adapt design for minimal water consumption
• Civil structures can be adapted to terrain,
  climate, geology
• Nuclear licensing requires very little adaptation
• Modular assembly minimizes construction
  challenges
• Steam can be economically distributed

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HWR Fuel Cycle Flexibility
Recovered Uranium
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HWR LWR - ABR SynergyGNEP Demonstrate ABRs,
recycle technology and minimize waste
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Effective and efficient actinide burning and
waste stream reduction .. in CANDU
intermediate burners

• Not a new idea
• Optimized LWR fuel re-use - demonstrated
• Pu annihilation demonstrated
• High burn-up Pu/Thorium cycles demonstrated
• Reduction in waste streams five to twenty times
• Plus even more energy production

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FutureReactor Systems will continue to improve
- Candu-SCWR
gt40
4000
400
0
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National Program on Generation IV Technologies

• Broad participation base in a National program
• Universities, industry and national labs
• Development of scientists and engineers
• Leverage Canadian RD efforts, and
  learn/participate in international developments
• Maximum utilization of current expertise and
  infrastructure
• Coordinated with Generation IV International Forum

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Advanced High Efficiency Fuel Channel

• Insulate pressure tube on the inside.
• Remove calandria tube.
• Insulator thickness optimized to obtain
• Usual heat loss by conduction/convection to the
  moderator under normal operation.
• Sufficient heat rejection by radiation/conduction/
  convection under accident conditions.

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Passive SCWR safety No core melt Combine an
advanced fuel channel design with passive
moderator heat rejection
Maximum fuel temperature following complete loss
of core cooling ((LOCA) and no ECC)
Maximum Fuel Temperature (inner rings), oC
Time (s)
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Multiple products are key to enabling a
sustainable energy and social future
Sustainable Fuel input
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Gen V CANDU X Direct H2
Seamless Evolution of CANDU Development
Innovation
Gen III CANDU 6
Years from today
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AECL Offers a Clear, Continuous and Consistent
CANDU Development Path

• Refurbished CANDU, the CANDU 6 and the new ACR
• Offers safe, reliable, clean-air baseload power
  at a competitive price for decades.
• CANDU offers the emissions free extraction of
  domestic oil reserves is made possible for North
  America
• Offers continuous development of advanced
  CANDU-type designs and concepts
• Offers energy security, affordable power and
  reduced emissions
• Offers commitment to a sustainable energy future
  and to being there in the long term

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