Showing papers on "Nuclear power published in 2003"

High efficiency generation of hydrogen fuels using nuclear power

Abstract: OAK B202 HIGH EFFICIENCY GENERATION OF HYDROGEN FUELS USING NUCLEAR POWER. Combustion of fossil fuels, used to power transportation, generate electricity, heat homes and fuel industry provides 86% of the world's energy. Drawbacks to fossil fuel utilization include limited supply, pollution, and carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions, thought to be responsible for global warming, are now the subject of international treaties. Together, these drawbacks argue for the replacement of fossil fuels with a less-polluting potentially renewable primary energy such as nuclear energy. Conventional nuclear plants readily generate electric power but fossil fuels are firmly entrenched in the transportation sector. Hydrogen is an environmentally attractive transportation fuel that has the potential to displace fossil fuels. Hydrogen will be particularly advantageous when coupled with fuel cells. Fuel cells have higher efficiency than conventional battery/internal combustion engine combinations and do not produce nitrogen oxides during low-temperature operation. Contemporary hydrogen production is primarily based on fossil fuels and most specifically on natural gas. When hydrogen is produced using energy derived from fossil fuels, there is little or no environmental advantage. There is currently no large scale, cost-effective, environmentally attractive hydrogen production process available for commercialization, nor has such a process been identified. The objective of this work is to find an economically feasible process for the production of hydrogen, by nuclear means, using an advanced high-temperature nuclear reactor as the primary energy source. Hydrogen production by thermochemical water-splitting (Appendix A), a chemical process that accomplishes the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen using only heat or, in the case of a hybrid thermochemical process, by a combination of heat and electrolysis, could meet these goals. Hydrogen produced from fossil fuels has trace contaminants (primarily carbon monoxide) that are detrimental to precious metal catalyzed fuel cells, as is now recognized by many of the world's largest automobile companies. Thermochemical hydrogen will not contain carbon monoxide as an impurity at any level. Electrolysis, the alternative process for producing hydrogen using nuclear energy, suffers from thermodynamic inefficiencies in both the production of electricity and in electrolytic parts of the process. The efficiency of electrolysis (electricity to hydrogen) is currently about 80%. Electric power generation efficiency would have to exceed 65% (thermal to electrical) for the combined efficiency to exceed the 52% (thermal to hydrogen) calculated for one thermochemical cycle. Thermochemical water-splitting cycles have been studied, at various levels of effort, for the past 35 years. They were extensively studied in the late 70s and early 80s but have received little attention in the past 10 years, particularly in the U.S. While there is no question about the technical feasibility and the potential for high efficiency, cycles with proven low cost and high efficiency have yet to be developed commercially. Over 100 cycles have been proposed, but substantial research has been executed on only a few. This report describes work accomplished during a three-year project whose objective is to ''define an economically feasible concept for production of hydrogen, by nuclear means, using an advanced high temperature nuclear reactor as the energy source.'' The emphasis of the first phase was to evaluate thermochemical processes which offer the potential for efficient, cost-effective, large-scale production of hydrogen from water in which the primary energy input is high temperature heat from an advanced nuclear reactor and to select one (or, at most three) for further detailed consideration. During Phase 1, an exhaustive literature search was performed to locate all cycles previously proposed. The cycles located were screened using objective criteria to determine which could benefit, in terms of efficiency and cost, from the high-temperature capabilities of advanced nuclear reactors. The more promising cycles were then analyzed in depth as to their adaptability to advanced high-temperature nuclear reactors. As a result, the Sulfur-Iodine (S-I) cycle was selected for integration into the advanced nuclear reactor system. In Phases 2 and 3, alternative flowsheets were developed and compared. This effort entailed a considerable effort into developing the solution thermodynamics pertinent to the S-I cycle.

Impact limits of partitioning and transmutation scenarios on the radiotoxicity of actinides in radioactive waste

Abstract: The used fuel discharged from nuclear power plants constitutes the main contribution to nuclear waste in countries which do not undertake reprocessing. As such, its disposal requires isolation from the biosphere in stable deep geological formations for long periods of time (some hundred thousand years) until its radioactivity decreases through the process of radioactive decay. Ways for significantly reducing the volumes and radiotoxicities of the waste and to shorten the very long times for which the waste must be stored safely are being investigated. This is the motivation behind the partitioning and transmutation (P&T) activities worldwide. This paper addresses the potential impact of P&T on the long-term disposal of nuclaer waste. In particular, it evaluates how realistic P&T scenarios can lead to a reduction in the time required for the waste to be stored safely. The calculations have been done independently by three research groups: ITU and FZK in Germany, and by the CEA in France.

The Presumptions of Expertise: The Role of Ethos in Risk Analysis

Abstract: 3. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, Monthly Energy Review, September, September 26, 2003, PDF file, U.S. Department of Energy, available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/mer/ (October 11, 2003); Robert J. Duffy, Nuclear Politics in America: A History and Theory of Government Regulation, Studies in Government and PubThe civilian nuclear power enterprise in the United States has had a short and not very happy life. There was an initial period of slow development from the late 1940s through the late 1960s, a very brief period of rapid growth that lasted less than ten years, and then an unforeseen rapid decline beginning in the mid-1970s that was only hastened by the Three Mile Island accident in 1979; this decline has been called “one of the most stunning reversals of fortune in the history of American capitalism.”1 A Forbes article declared in 1985 that “for the U.S., nuclear power is dead,” and the scientist who chaired the National Research Council’s 1992 report on nuclear power declared a year later that the future of nuclear power in the U.S. “looks grim.”2 Although some 20 percent of the nation’s electric power in 2003 was supplied by 104 nuclear plants, nuclear power has not been prominent on the public agenda: in the 1990s, a slowed growth in the demand for energy, reduced funds for R&D, the deregulation of the power industry in 1992, and reduced prices for fossil fuels made the nuclear option less important.3 There has been some

Restructuring and resistance : Canadian public policy in an age of global capitalism

Abstract: nuclear generation. This may be true, but as the last two years have demonstrated in North America, electricity markets can be quite volatile. Changing conditions in fuel markets, changing environmental policies, to name but two issues, have important impacts on the relative economics of different generation technologies. Similarly, decisions on Bruce and Darlington in Ontario will affect investments in other resources. The chapter provides much useful information, but not enough to convince this reader that nuclear power is necessarily going to benefit restructured electricity markets.

Identification and control of a nuclear reactor core (VVER) using recurrent neural networks and fuzzy systems

Abstract: Improving the methods of identification and control of nuclear power reactors core is an important area in nuclear engineering. Controlling the nuclear reactor core during load following operation encounters some difficulties in control of core thermal power while considering the core limitations in local power peaking and safety margins. In this paper, a nuclear power reactor core (VVER) is identified using a multi nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous inputs (NARX) structure, including neural networks with different time steps and a heuristic compound learning method, consisting of off- and on-line batch learning. An intelligent nuclear reactor core controller, is designed which possesses the fast data generation capabilities of the NARX neural network and a fuzzy system based on the operator knowledge and experience for the purpose of decision-making. The results of simulation with an accurate three-dimensional VVER core code show that the proposed controller is very well able to control the reactor core during load following operations, using optimum control rod group maneuver and variable overlapping strategy. This methodology represents an innovative method of core control using neuro-fuzzy systems and can be used for identification and control of other complex nonlinear plants.

Mononitride fuel for fast reactors

Abstract: Substantiation is given for the development of nuclear power based on inherently-safe fast reactors with a mononitride core. Fundamental studies and design work on the development of such reactors with lead (BREST-OD-300), lead–bismuth (SVBR-75/100), and sodium coolant (BN-800) are being performed. The development of nuclear power in our country is based on organizing a closed fuel cycle. The results of experimental investigations of the properties of mononitride fuel are correlated. Mononitride fuel meets all requirements for fast-reactor fuel.

Using immersive virtual environments to develop and visualize construction schedules for advanced nuclear power plants

Abstract: Ongoing research aims to determine if a full-scale virtual reality mockup can be effectively used to reduce construction and maintenance costs of the next generation of nuclear power plants. A full-scale virtual mockup of Room 12306 of the Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plant provides the test bed for this research. Located in the auxiliary building, Room 12306 contains a number of construction modules and assemblies comprised of piping from 10 different fluid systems. The virtual mockup developed at Penn State is currently being evaluated for visualizing and testing the planned construction of Room 12306. Using the virtual mockup, the designer and contractor can evaluate, in 1:1 scale, a step-by-step installation sequence for the modules and piping assemblies for completeness and feasibility. Simulating a multiple-step installation sequence, the user can experience a human-in-the-loop, virtual construction of the yet-to-be-built space. Using software tools, the user may also interactively develop installation sequences by selecting modules and assemblies in the appropriate order. Two sets of experiments performed at Penn State ARL’s SEALab were used to determine the value added by using the virtual mockup to develop and visualize the construction schedule for Room12306. During the first experiment, two groups of Penn State construction management students were asked to use the virtual mockup and associated software tools to develop a construction sequence for Room12306 without any prior knowledge of the space. The groups were able to easily identify constructabilty issues and find opportunities for scheduling parallel activities, although they had no prior experience with the room. The second experiment asked two teams of experienced construction superintendents to develop a construction schedule for the space using drawings provided by the designer. The teams viewed and evaluated the schedules they developed in the virtual mockup. The teams used knowledge gained from this evaluation to develop an optimum schedule in the virtual mockup. The optimum schedule balanced the workload across three crews, resulting in a significant reduction in estimated construction time.

The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project

Abstract: The Next Generation Nuclear Power (NGNP) Project will demonstrate emissions-free nuclearassisted electricity and hydrogen production by 2015. The NGNP reactor will be a helium-cooled, graphite moderated, thermal neutron spectrum reactor with a design goal outlet temperature of 1000 C or higher. The reactor thermal power and core configuration will be designed to assure passive decay heat removal without fuel damage during hypothetical accidents. The fuel cycle will be a once-through very high burnup low-enriched uranium fuel cycle. This paper provides a description of the project to build the NGNP at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The NGNP Project includes an overall reactor design activity and four major supporting activities: materials selection and qualification, NRC licensing and regulatory support, fuel development and qualification, and the hydrogen production plant. Each of these activities is discussed in the paper. All the reactor design and construction activities will be managed under the DOE’s project management system as outlined in DOE Order 413.3. The key elements of the overall project management system discussed in this paper include the client and project management organization relationship, critical decisions (CDs), acquisition strategy, and the project logic and timeline. The major activities associated with the materials program include development of a plan for managing the selection and qualification of all component materials required for the NGNP; identification of specific materials alternatives for each system component; evaluation of the needed testing, code work, and analysis required to qualify each identified material; preliminary selection of component materials; irradiation of needed sample materials; physical, mechanical, and chemical testing of unirradiated and irradiated materials; and documentation of final materials selections. The NGNP will be licensed by the NRC under 10 CFR 50 or 10 CFR 52, for the purpose of demonstrating the suitability of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors for commercial electric power and hydrogen production. Products that will support the licensing of the NGNP include the environmental impact statement, the preliminary safety analysis report, the NRC construction permit, the final safety analysis report, and the NRC operating license. The fuel development and qualification program consists of five elements: development of improved fuel manufacturing technologies, fuel and materials irradiations, safety testing and post-irradiation examinations, fuel performance modeling, and fission product transport and source term modeling. Two basic approaches will be explored for using the heat from the high-temperature helium coolant to produce hydrogen. The first technology of interest is the thermochemical splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen. The most promising processes for thermochemical splitting of water are sulfur-based and include the sulfur-iodine, hybrid sulfur-electrolysis, and sulfur-bromine processes. The second technology of interest is thermally assisted electrolysis of water. The efficiency of this process can be substantially improved by heating the water to high-temperature steam before applying electrolysis.

Toward Renewed Legitimacy? Nuclear Power, Global Warming, and Security

Abstract: With calls for the renewal of the nuclear energy industry in the United States and elsewhere, the international political economy of this troubled industry assumes increased importance. Though technical difficulties have plagued the industry for many decades, it is the equally problematic task of establishing public trust on which the article focuses. Arguably, with the advent of widespread concern over global warming, nuclear power offers a low-emission alternative. Yet safety, security, and political concerns color this highly centralized energy source, as well as its export-based political economy. The article traces the history of global nuclear commerce, as well as recent attempts to revive the industry. I suggest that efforts to re-legitimize the state-industry-power complex by way of nuclear commerce and associated discourse may have some success, but this will be tempered by sustained opposition to the centralizing tendencies of nuclear power and continued safety concerns.

Making Technology Work: Applications in Energy and the Environment

Abstract: 1. Introduction 2. Gasohol 3. Solar thermal, windpower and photovoltaic technologies 4. Electricity from coal 5. Controlling acid rain from coal-fired power plants 6. Greenhouse gases and global warming 7. Nuclear power and its fuel cycle 8. Managing nuclear waste 9. Nuclear power and weapons proliferation 10. Natural gas 11. Safety and risk: examples from the liquefied natural gas and nuclear industries 12. Synthetic fuels 13. Fuel cells for automobiles 14. Energy models and statistics 15. The government's role in innovation 16. Conclusions.

Sustainable energy: Choices, problems and opportunities

Abstract: About the Book: The world's dependence on fossil fuels is widely acknowledged to be a major cause of rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thus there is an urgent need to develop energy sources with lower environmental impact, with attention focusing on renewable energy sources. Concise, authoritative, up-to-date and readable, this book reviews various energy technologies, as well as taking a critical look at the political, social and economic aspects. Throughout, the emphasis is on renewable energy sources (wind, wave, solar, biomass, etc), but a discussion of fossil fuels and nuclear power is also presented. This timely book, written by recognised experts, will be welcomed by those in the energy industries as well as by policy-makers, consultants and engineers. Students and lecturers will also find the material invaluable.

Nuclear decommissioning insurance financial product and method

Abstract: An insurance policy and insurance method for providing financial assurance for decommissioning a nuclear power plant using insurance is described. In one embodiment, a financial product, such as a decommissioning insurance policy, provides financial assurance for the decommissioning of a nuclear power facility, and provides, in exchange for payment of a premium, for an insurer to pay actual decommissioning expenses for the nuclear power facility between a policy inception date and a policy termination date. In another embodiment, the insurance policy includes a premium that is based on an adjusted sum of costs and expenses that is equalized over a plurality of scenarios, where each scenario is based on the decommission starting, e.g., in a different year.

Autonomous Control of Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract: A nuclear reactor is a complex system that requires highly sophisticated controllers to ensure that desired performance and safety can be achieved and maintained during its operations. Higher-demanding operational requirements such as reliability, lower environmental impacts, and improved performance under adverse conditions in nuclear power plants, coupled with the complexity and uncertainty of the models, necessitate the use of an increased level of autonomy in the control methods. In the opinion of many researchers, the tasks involved during nuclear reactor design and operation (e.g., design optimization, transient diagnosis, and core reload optimization) involve important human cognition and decisions that may be more easily achieved with intelligent methods such as expert systems, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms. Many experts in the field of control systems share the idea that a higher degree of autonomy in control of complex systems such as nuclear plants is more easily achievable through the integration of conventional control systems and the intelligent components. Researchers have investigated the feasibility of the integration of fuzzy logic, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and expert systems with the conventional control methods to achieve higher degrees of autonomy in different aspects of reactor operations such as reactor startup, shutdown inmore » emergency situations, fault detection and diagnosis, nuclear reactor alarm processing and diagnosis, and reactor load-following operations, to name a few. With the advancement of new technologies and computing power, it is feasible to automate most of the nuclear reactor control and operation, which will result in increased safety and economical benefits. This study surveys current status, practices, and recent advances made towards developing autonomous control systems for nuclear reactors.« less

Electric Utilities and Water: Emerging Issues and R&D Needs

Abstract: Electricity production requires a reliable, abundant, and predictable source of water, a resource that is in limited supply in parts of the United States and much of the world. The process of thermoelectric generation from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, as well as nuclear power, is water intensive. In fact, each kWh generated requires on average approximately 25 gallons of water to produce. This means that U.S. citizens may indirectly depend upon as much water turning on the lights and running appliances as they may directly use taking showers and watering lawns. The demand for water by the electric-utility sector will compete with demands from other sectors of the economy. As such, the availability of adequate supplies of water to produce electricity and the impact of power plant operations on water quality are receiving increased attention. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) sponsored a workshop on the interdependency of water and electric energy. The workshop, held on July 23-24, 2002 in Pittsburgh, PA, was cosponsored by two other DOE laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory. The purpose of this workshop was to provide a forum for discussion of current and emerging water issues that could impact electricity generation in the United States with the overall goal of identifying opportunities for public-private partnerships to address research and development (R&D) needs. The workshop covered a number of topics 1 United States Geological Survey, Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 1995, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1200, 1998.

Energy. Britain to cut CO2 without relying on nuclear power.

Abstract: ENERGYCAMBRIDGE, U.K.-- The U.K. government announced this week that it wants to up the ante on reducing carbon emissions over the next half-century, without building any new nuclear power stations. Lauded by environmentalists as "a crucial landmark," the Energy White Paper is nonetheless taking heavy flak from energy experts.

The supply of forest-based biomass for the energy sector : the case of Sweden

Abstract: Biomass has become a popular alternative to fossil fuels in energy generation. Especially in Sweden, where vast quantities of forest resources are available, nuclear power is starting to be phased ...

Double or Quits: The Global Future of Civil Nuclear Energy

Abstract: List of Figures and Tables * Acknowledgements * About the Authors * Setting the Scene * Public Perceptions and Decision-making in Civil Nuclear Energy * The Relative Economics of Nuclear Power * Radioactive Waste Management, Reprocessing and Proliferation * Nuclear Safety * Nuclear Energy Research, Development and Commercialization * Nuclear Power and the Kyoto Protocol * Recommendations and Conclusions * Glossary

Realization of the German Concept for Interim Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel - Current Situation and Prospects

Abstract: The German government has determined a phase out of nuclear power. With respect to the management of spent fuel it was decided to terminate transports to reprocessing plants by 2005 and to set up interim storage facilities on power plant sites. This paper gives an overview of the German concept for spent fuel management focused on the new on-site interim storage concept and the applied interim storage facilities. Since the end of the year 1998, the utilities have applied for permission of on-site interim storage in 13 storage facilities and 5 storage areas; one application for the interim storage facility Stade was withdrawn due to the planned final shut down of Stade nuclear power plant in autumn 2003. In 2001 and 2002, 3 on-site storage areas and 2 on-site storage facilities for spent fuel were licensed by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). A main task in 2002 and 2003 has been the examination of the safety and security of the planned interim storage facilities and the verification of the licensing prerequisites. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, BfS has also examined the attack with a big passenger airplane. Up to now, these aircraft crash analyses have beenmore » performed for three on-site interim storage facilities; the fundamental results will be presented. It is the objective of BfS to conclude the licensing procedures for the applied on-site interim storage facilities in 2003. With an assumed construction period for the storage buildings of about two years, the on-site interim storage facilities could then be available in the year 2005.« less

Effect of Noncondensable Gases on Circulation of Primary Coolant in Nuclear Power Plants in Abnormal Situations

Abstract: 3

Scenarios with an intensive contribution of nuclear energy to the world energy supply

Abstract: Temperature stabilisation requires that CO2 emissions be limited to less than 3 Gt Carbon equivalent, from the present level of more than 6 Gt. Despite an increase in primary energy demand by 250%; in 2050, we find that a nuclear intensive scenario assuming the development of a 3000 GWe pool of PWR reactors by 2030 and an additional 6000 GWe pool of U-Pu or Th-U reactors by 2050 would lead to temperature stabilisation at a level two degrees above the pre-industrial level.

Radiochemical Procedures For Speciation Of Actinides In The Environment. Methodology And Data Obtained In Contaminated Regions Of Russia By Radionuclides

Abstract: The following sources of penetration of radionuclides into the environment are under consideration usually as the main factors: ■ nuclear (thermonuclear) weapons tests; ■ working of radiochemical plants supporting nuclear power cycle and production of plutonium for military purposes; ■ dump of radioactive wastes into ocean; ■ accidents on nuclear power station.