Generation IV Roland Schenkel DG Joint Research Centre - EUROPEAN COMMISSION

1. Generation IV Roland Schenkel DG Joint Research Centre - EUROPEAN COMMISSION Bucharest, 11 May 2006 http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int JRC – Brussels

2. The Generation IV International Forum (GIF) The GIF Charter E.U. • Objective: to support R&D, within a time frame from 15 to 20 yearsand reachtechnical maturity by 2030 • The 5 GIF fundamental criteria : • Sustainability • Non-Proliferation and physical protection • Safety and reliability • Minimization of waste production • Economics • The JRC has been designated as the Community Implementing Agent • Designed fordifferent applications • Electricity, Hydrogen • Desalinated water, Heat JRC – Brussels

3. The six Generation IV nuclear systems Gas Fast Reactor Molten Salt Reactor Supercritical Water-cooled Reactor Sodium Fast Reactor Very High Temperature Reactor Lead Fast Reactor JRC – Brussels

4. Interest in GIF Systems          VHTR         GFR      SFR      LFR      SCWR    MSR July 2005 signifies Co-chair GFR – Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor LFR – Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor MSR – Molten Salt Reactor SFR – Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor SCWR – Supercritical Water-Cooled Reactor VHTR – Very-High-Temperature Reactor Note that all Steering Committees are provisional until the System Arrangements are finalized and signed. JRC – Brussels

5. U + Pu + MA + FP Spent Fuel 130000 years < 0.1 % Pu + MA + FP 10000 years Radiotoxicity Volume Safe Storage Time U consumption Proliferation Resistance Major Advantages Gen IV over Gen II/III Gen II / III Once Through Reprocessing Vitrification U, Pu Partitioning U, Pu + MAs Traces: Pu + MA; + FP Gen IV FR <1000-2000 years Fuel Fabrication Pu + MAs Breeder/Burner JRC – Brussels

6. The GIF Governance Organes de Gouvernance Instruments FrameworkAgreement SystemArrangement ProjectArrangement JRC – Brussels

7. The Framework Agreement • Legally binding text governing the overall functioning of GIF • Entered into force on 28 February 2005. • Objective: “… to establish a framework for international collaboration to foster and facilitate achievement of the purpose and vision of the GIF”. • Potential Parties to the FA: Governments (or their ministries or agencies) for GIF Member States and Euratom • Each Party to designate Implementing Agents (IAs) which will implement SAs, but only one of them can sign a specific SA • The Joint Research Centre is the Implementing Agent of Euratom • The Framework Agreement describes the role of the other arrangements in the GIF system (System and, respectively, Project Arrangements) • IPR provisions will be dealt with at the appropriate level (mainly at project level) JRC – Brussels

8. The System Arrangements (SAs) • Basic Principle: One System / One System Arrangement/ Only one Implementing Agent may be signatory • Signatories: Public institutions/research organisations designated by the FA signatories • SFR SA signed; VHTR under discussion/finalisation • Negotiation for SCWR, GFR SAs to start on the basis of the SFR/VHTR template • Content of the Template System Arrangement: • Collaboration to be undertaken • Management of the research and the development activities undertaken to realize the objective of GIF • Financial arrangements • Protection, use and disclosure of background proprietary information • Adequate and effective protection and allocation of intellectual property created or furnished in the course of the collaboration, including provision for the resolution of disputes concerning intellectual property rights • The SFR SA was signed on Tuesday, 14 February 2006, in Fukui (Japan) by France, Japan and the USA JRC – Brussels

9. The Project Arrangements (PAs) • R&D within each System will be performed in one or more projects (co-ordinated by a Project Management Board)  each System Arrangement implemented through 4 to 5 project arrangements • Signatories to the PAs: Implementing Agents or other R&D organisations (subject to the approval of the respective SSC) • Integration of the work within each system will be done by a “Design and Integration Project” • IPR provisions included at this level. • Statute of the PAs: contracts • Negotiations on PA content have started and appeared to be the most difficult JRC – Brussels

10. A discrimination among partners • Minor/Major Contributors • The notion was introduced by US/DOE during the third round of negotiations on the SFR Advanced Fuel PA • Major contributors will have a large access and use of the outcome of the R&D: the “Generated Information” • Minor contributors will have a limited access to this Generated Information • Defining “Minor” and “Major” Contributors • Based on “initial inputs”, not on “outputs”; • According to a certain threshold of contribution. • Important Conclusion: if this notion is kept, it will be of utmost importance for the Community to organise its contribution to reach the critical size. In particular, the role of universities shall be protected. JRC – Brussels

11. 3+1 GIF Methodology Working Groups • Economic Modeling Working Group (EMWG) • Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection (PRPP) • Risk & Safety Working Group (RSWG) • A 4th MWG under consideration: Sustainability Working Group • Each is chartered to work on crosscutting methodologies that can be used to evaluate any of the Generation IV systems JRC – Brussels

12. How to make Framework Programme projects and GIF projects match? • Ongoing discussion within the “Coordination Group” with a view to FP7 • Issues identified: • Ensure that individual FP projects (Integrated Projects, STREPs) and GIF projects match at task level FP; • But individual FP projects corresponds to Systems rather than projects (e.g. RAPHAEL FP – VHTR and GCFR FP – GFR); • Consortium should accept that the Technical Annex may be reviewed to fit as far as possible the GIF R&D plan and project plans; • Would it be possible to identify in each consortium sub-entities matching GIF Projects or even Projects Tasks? Will individual consortium agree to create such sub-consortia? What will be their relations with the main body and its individual members? JRC – Brussels

13. Euratom membership may: • ensure significant scientific/technical contributions to GIF reaching the critical size • play a constructive role towards R&D achievement of GIF objectives • provide a platform for participation of R&D organizations (including industry) from non GIF-members EU Member States and CCs • offer an exciting and challenging field for the training of European scientists and students in a worldwide R&D initiative. We expect the offer of the Romanian nuclear scientific community to this ambitious and challenging R&D initiative, of which some main lines will be presented this afternoon during the “Nuclear session”. JRC – Brussels

14. Fast Reactors : Sodium Technology Sodiumis a very suitable coolant: liquid in a wide range of temperatures (90 – 890°C) mono isotope (Na23) thermodynamics parameters no corrosion (when purified) Large industrial experience: various industrial uses 40 years of technological studies for nuclear applications Well-known drawbacks: chemical reactivity (sodium fires and sodium-water reactions) difficulties for handling and inspection (repairability) Challenges: fuel with minor actinides JRC – Brussels

15. Fast Reactors : Lead Technology A candidate to avoid the risks associated with sodium fires or sodium-water reactions A less favorable coolant (thermodynamics parameters, corrosion risks) Lead-bismuth alloy to reduce corrosion risks Experience limited to Russian applications in naval propulsion Studies going on in various countries Nitride fuel JRC – Brussels

16. Fast Reactors : Helium Technology Gas cooling is less efficient than liquid metal cooling Development of a gas cooled fast reactor will require a new type of fuel (burn up ≥ 150 GWd/t) Helium technology is already considered for VHTR Specific safety concerns need to be clarified (low thermal inertia, high power density) If it can be successfully designed, the result will satisfy both objectives for a sustainable development (fast neutron physics and high temperature technology) JRC – Brussels

17. Very innovative and thus very challenging • Molten salt properties and salt control (REDOX, impurities)• Resistance of structural materials in molten salt environments fluorides, chlorides)• Specific components, esp. heat exchangers• Graphite life• Bubbling extraction of gaseous FPs and noble metals• FP online extraction• Tritium control MSR R&D Areas JRC – Brussels

18. The role of reprocessing • Long-term sustainability requires reprocessing (fuel availability, number of geological repositories • Advanced aqueous reprocessing • Separation of Pu and minor actinides; ready for prototype demonstration (small scale testing at JRC-ITU) • Advanced dry reprocessing • Previous experience with EBR metal fuel (Idaho); R&D in several countries; small prototype in Japanese-European co-operation at JRC-ITU • Challenge for new fuel to be developed for GFR: highly refractive/ leak-tight yet dissolvable JRC – Brussels

19. Very-High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Characteristics • Helium coolant • 900-950°C outlet temp • Water-cracking cycle Benefits • Hydrogen production • High degree of passive safety • High thermal efficiency • Process heat applications • Preliminary design by2011; prototype before 2020, • dependending on available funding • In Europe: focus on heat applications rather than electricity and H2 JRC – Brussels

20. SCWR R&D Highlights • Target date to complete essential R&D: 2015 (establish viability) • Prototype (30-150 MWe) by 2020 • Pressure-vessel & pressure-tube designs will be developed in parallel with a decision on core type made by country/organization supporting construction of POAK • Includes a section showing proposed contributions from member countries to specific R&D tasks JRC – Brussels

21. GIF Resources on the web • Basic information on GIF is available on: http://www.gen-4.org/ • More detailed information to support Euratom contribution to GIF is available to suscribers to the “Circa Group” managed by DG Joint Research Centre (access on demand) http://forum.europa.eu.int/Members/irc/jrc/euratom_co_ordination_on_gif_issues/home JRC – Brussels