CONSTRUCTION OF RESEARCH

REACTORS FOR GEN 3 & GEN 4

REACTORS DEVELOPMENT

OCTOBER 13th, 2014

Atoms for the future | Christophe Béhar

| PAGE 1 Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

RESEARCH REACTORS:

USE AND HISTORY

| PAGE 2

Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

A KEY ROLE IN NUCLEAR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT

Research reactors have accompanied the development of nuclear

power since the beginning

On December 2, 1942 a team of scientists conducted by Enrico Fermi

succeeded in initiating the first controlled chain reaction and,

so, in operating the first experimental atomic pile in Chicago

From the 1945’s to date, more than 600 research reactors or critical assemblies were

built in the world, with powers ranging approximately from zero to several hundred thermal

megawatts, along with a high diversity in design, use and operating mode

In France, ~ 40 research reactors built since 1948 (ZOE), the last one (JHR) is under

construction in Cadarache

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Evolution of the number of operating research reactors registered in the world

Enrico FERMI

Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

USE AND TYPOLOGY

Research Reactors are nuclear facilities in which a fission chain reaction is generated and

sustained so as to get a neutron flux to be used for experiments

Neutrons generated in research reactors are first used to achieve experiments related to the

development of nuclear power reactors, for both the understanding of the phenomena

involved, and as well as the validation and qualification of the retained solutions

3 main categories of Research Reactors have to be considered in relation to this issue :

Reactors designed to validate neutronics calculations of power reactors, also called

Zero Power Reactors (ZPRs), or sometimes “critical mockups”

Reactors designed to investigate and qualify the behavior of structural materials and

fuels under irradiation, also called Material Test Reactors (MTRs)

Reactors designed to investigate accidental situations, also called “Safety Test

Reactors”

In addition, Research Reactors can be used for:

producing radioelements for medicine

contributing to scientific research tools for investigating atomic and nuclear structures

of the matter, they are categorized as neutron beam (High Flux) Reactors

| PAGE 4 Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

| PAGE 5

SOME EXAMPLES

BR2 MTR Reactor (Belgium)

OSIRIS MTR Reactor

(France)

EOLE ZPR (France)

MINERVE ZPR

(France)

HFR High Flux Reactor

(ILL – France)

Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

RESEARCH REACTORS TODAY AND TOMORROW

Research Reactors are essential to pursue the development of present NPPs and prepare

the nuclear systems of the future, and this all the more as a technological disruption step

is considered

despite the boost of simulation (through High Performance Computing – HPC) , with

especially the widespread use of Monte-Carlo-type calculations, there remain fields where

experimentation is still indispensable:

model readjustment

validation of basic phenomena

description and qualification of technological objects (reactors, components, fuels)

Reduction of operational margins, improvement in Safety aspects and demonstration,

as well as design uncertainties

3 major CEA projects for the future:

From EOLE & MINERVE facilities to ZEPHYR, in complementarity with MASURCA :

experimental validation of codes, calculation schemes and associated nuclear DATA

MASURCA (ZPR) , currently being refurbished, for Gen-IV core physics

JHR, an innovative MTR

| PAGE 6 Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

FROM EOLE & MINERVE FACILITIES

TO ZEPHYR, COMPLEMENTARY WITH

MASURCA

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Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

THE CONTEXT

All the major countries involved in the nuclear field developed critical facilities, but many

of them were shut down ; France made a different choice by maintaining its three most

multipurpose ZPRs in continuous operation for more than 40 years: EOLE, MINERVE

and MASURCA

The neutronics behavior of various configurations investigated in these ZPRs can be

directly extrapolated to the physical phenomena encountered in power reactors, by

allowing for a representativeness factor. While being safe, these mockups are highly

flexible, adaptable, easily accessible, and easy to instrument

The so-called Integral experiments performed therein are useful in many aspects of ND

evaluation:

To validate or identify inconsistencies on Nuclear Data (ND)

To improve uncertainties and generate realistic covariances on ND

To produce new evaluations using Integral Data Assimilation methods

CEA Zero Power Reactors play an essential role in this context with a good

complementarity between mock-up experiments (EOLE, MASURCA), dedicated to the

experimental validation of calculation schemes, and nuclear data dedicated fundamental

experiments (MINERVE, EOLE)

| PAGE 8 Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

R&D ITEMS OF INTEREST FOR THE NEXT DECADES

There is a strong wish from CEA to maintain critical facilities in the next decades, as the

needs are well identified:

Support to Gen-II

• Cycle length, burnable poisons : higher enrichments, new poisons (Gd, Er,…)

• boron less PWR : higher gadolinium loads

• High temperature Doppler : Atomic Model impact, resonant slowing-down,…

Support to Gen-III

• in-core and ex-core instrumentation

• « Large core » effects : ND-targeted configurations

• Complementary experimental validation of Stainless Steel reflector :

• propagation,

• heating,

• dosimetry Survey,

• mixed loadings, interface effects (UOX/MOX in presence of SS)…

• Innovative assembly/fuel designs

| PAGE 9 Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

Support to Gen-IV

• V&V of advanced / innovative calculation schemes

→ From semi-analytical geometries to large SFR cores mock-up

MASURCA business

• Nuclear Data improvement

OECD/NEA report WPEC-SG 26 on target-uncertainties

→ Nuclear Data SFR-type coupled fast/thermal core , not possible

anymore in MINERVE

ZEPHYR

R&D ITEMS OF INTEREST FOR THE NEXT DECADES

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Generic Support

• Nuclear Data improvement (not only for Gen-IV)

• Extension of calculation codes experimental validation (V&V of solvers and libraries) : going from

2D to local 3D effects, from 2 steps to 1-step core calculation

• Improvement of experimental target uncertainties (improvement of transposition): new or

enhanced experimental techniques, technological uncertainty management

• Development of instrumentation, calibration

• Modeling of degraded configurations, representative of accidental situations

• JHR “mock up”, in particular burnt samples and experimental devices

• Training and teaching activities

MASURCA

Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

THE ZEPHYR PROJECT

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EOLE & MINERVE, both considered worldwide as being unique by their respective

flexibility, will be shut down at the end of 2019 (ASN decision)

In order to pursue R&D items as described, CEA needs a new ZPR: ZEPHYR

Zero power Experimental PHYsics Reactor

ZEPHYR is designed to be more flexible than EOLE and

MINERVE for nuclear data related experiments, especially

for Nuclear Data dedicated fast reactor applications

In Europe:

PROTEUS (PSI - Switzerland) is shut down

VENUS (SCK-CEN – Belgium) : 100% dedicated to MYRRHA

LR-0 (Czech Republic):100% dedicated to VVER

Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

JHR, AN INNOVATIVE MTR

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Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

CONTEXT (why a new MTR in Europe?)

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*

***

'

*

*

HBWR

OSIRIS

BR 2

under

construction

HFR

LVR 15

RJH**

OSIRIS

GW

Generation 3

Existing fleet40-year plant life

1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060

Generation 3

Plant life extension

beyond 40 years

1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060

Generation 4

Safety and Plant life time management (ageing & new plants)

Fuel behaviour validation in incidental and accidental situation

Assess innovations and related safety for future NPP: Gen 3 and Gen 4

Training of new generations

Existing technologies

PWR, BWR, …

Illustration

of nuclear

power

evolution in

France

The needs of a new brand MTR for R&D in

support to industry and regulators linked to

the evolution of nuclear energy:

Plant life time extension of GII reactors

Surge of GIII reactors

Preparation of GIV technology

The need of a new MTR because of an

ageing fleet of MTR in Europe (with

old safety standards)

The complementary needs:

Medical applications

(99Mo-99Tc / scintigraphy)

Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

R&D in support to nuclear Industry

Safety and Plant life time management (ageing & new plants)

Fuel behavior validation in incidental and accidental situation

Assess innovations and related safety for future NPPs (either LWR or GENIV concepts)

Radio-isotopes supply for medical application

MOLI production JHR will supply 25% of the European demand (today about 8 millions protocols/year) and up to 50% upon specific request

JHR will be a key tool to support expertise

Training of new generations Maintaining a national expertise staff and credibility for public acceptance Assessing safety requirements evolution and international regulation harmonisation

JHR 3 MAIN OBJECTIVES

Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014 | PAGE 14

EXPERIMENTATION in MTR

| PAGE 15

MTR allows to reproduce on

a small scale, real power plant

conditions and in some cases,

more severe conditions for

Material screening (comparison of materials

tested under representative conditions)

Material characterisation (behaviour of one material in a wide

range of operating conditions, up to off-normal and severe conditions)

Fuel element qualification (test of one / several fuel rods (clad+fuel))

JHR

POWER PLANT

Circuits (thermohydraulic,

chemistry, purification,…)

In-pile test device

Fuels & materials irradiation

Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014 | PAGE 15

JHR general design : a 100MWth pool type light water

MTR optimized for fuel and material testing

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BR : Φ 37m H 45m

BAN : 51x47m H 35m

Pool : Φ 7m H 12m

About 200 aseismic pads Core Designed for UMo-Al fuel

Start-up with U3Si2-Al fuel

70 MWth / 100 MWth

25 to 30 days cycle length

6-7 days shutdown

Rooms dedicated to

reactor operation (heat exchangers, primary

pumps, safety systems,…)

Rooms dedicated to

reactor operation (control room, hot

workshop, labs,…)

Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014

JHR CONSORTIUM & GOVERNING BOARD

JHR Consortium current partnership: Research centers & Industrial

companies

IAEC

Associated Partnership: NNL is the UK representative to JHR

UK/CEA agreement – March 2013

19/03/2007 Signature of the JHR

consortium

In some cases, the organization (member of the JHR consortium) is itself the

representative of a national consortium which gathers organizations among industry,

R&D organizations, TSO, or safety authority

JHR consortium gathers organizations which

take part financially in the construction of JHR

(1 representative / organization)

Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014 | PAGE 17

CONCLUSIONS

Research reactors are essential both for current and future generations of NPPs

CEA is worldwide considered as a major research center and its research reactors are

key assets

Achieving JHR, Zephyr and MASURCA refurbishment aims to preserve this potential

within the framework of collaborations and associations (cf JHR consortium)

| PAGE 18 Christophe Béhar | October 13, 2014