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Paata J. Kervalishvili

Georgian Technical University

Georgian Academy of Natural Sciences

Eastlink Conference – Klaipeda, October 20, 2010

ADVANCED ENERGY GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT

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INTRODUCTION

Current forecasts indicate that the primary energy consumption worldwide by 2050 will probably will doubled in comparison with the year 2000. Energy security is becoming a major global concern. Fossil fuel reserves, particularly for crude oil, are confined to a few areas of the world.

Political, economical, and ecological factors often force volatile and high fuel prices. Simultaneously, to combat climate change, a global environmental policy which includes a major reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is required.

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Types of Renewable Energy Sources as a Share of Total Global Renewable Energy Consumption, %

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Renewable Energy Share of Global Final Energy Consumption in 2008, %

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Increase of World Energy Consumption in 2006 – 2030

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Countries According to Wind Power Capacity

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Main Countries According to Solar Photovoltaic Power Capacity

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Kyoto Protocol forced participating countries to develop rapidly renewable energy as it is shown in Table 1. The USA Energy Information Administration provides forecasts for energy production to 2030 including renewable energy

Table 1: Main Indicators of World Renewable Energy

Indicator Unit of Year

  measure 2007 2008 2009

Annual investment in renewable capacity

US$ billion 104 130 150

Hydropower capacity GW 920 950 980

Wind power capacity GW 94 121 159

Solar photovoltaic power capacity GW 7.6 13.5 21.0

Solar hot water capacity GWh 125 149 180

[International Energy Outlook 2009 (May 2009). Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585, 284 p.

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World Renewable Electricity Production to 2030

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Renewable Electricity as a Share of Global Electricity Production to 2030

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One of the statements presented even in 80-ies (Brundtland Report) is underlining: Sustainable

development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own

needs. Following this, sustainable hydrogen and

nuclear energy generation technologies would ensure security of supply of electricity at

predictable prices over reasonable periods.

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WATER – ENERGYCARRIER OF THE FUTURE

    Specific energy effectiveness in the different methods of energy generation

-Carboncontained Energy Carriers Burning: C+O2 0,0046 MeV + CO2

-Nuclear Fission: U235 0,85MeV + nuclear waste

-Thermonuclear Fusion: D+T 4He2 + 17,6 MeV

- Induced Dissociation of Proton P 938 MeV

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Energy Changes Scheme of Hydrogen Preparation and Burning

OXYGEN

WATER HYDROGEN WATER

En. gen. by traditional meth. Energy Consumption Energy Generation

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Undisputable advantage of the hydrogen fuel is sufficient ecological safety of use, acceptability for thermal engines without essential change of their design, high caloric value, opportunity of a long-term storage, the transportations on an existing transport network, no toxicity etc.

However the high price of industrial manufacturing of hydrogen is essential and not overcome problem today.More than 600 firms, companies, concerns, university laboratories and public scientific and technical associations work hardly on the problem of reducing the price of hydrogen in Western Europe, USA, Australia, Canada and Japan. The successful solution of this important task will be revolutionary step to change all global economy and will improve an environment.

HYDROGEN FUEL GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES.

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Nuclear power is a low greenhouse gas emitting technology

Technology g/KW-hr

Coal 900-1000

Combined cycle gas turbine 500

Solar Voltaic 50-100

Wind 5-30

Nuclear 6-26

Hydro 3-11

As the concern over global warming increases, questions have been raised as to what role nuclear energy can play compared to other low greenhouse gas emitting technologies.

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Possible role of nuclear energy in different scenarios for 2050: example of a 14-Gtoe/year scenario where nuclear energy would represent 2.5 Gtoe (corresponding to an installed capacity of 1 300 GWe).

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Nuclear Energy:

some information

Nuclear energy mainly is generated by two nuclear – chemical reaction: nuclear fusion and nuclear fission.

Nuclear energy preparation cycle is based on the system which includes the nuclear reactor where the nuclear fission energy is generated and the fuel flow.

The nuclear energy is taken out from nuclear reactor as thermal energy and then it is changed into electricity for the usage.

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Atom bombs thrown on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 715 nuclear Experimentations /tests from 1954 to 1990, 559 of which for war purposes only in USSR (456 in Simipalatinske, 130 – in Novaya Zemlya) (Strelets, 2004), accidents in nuclear power plants (NPP) of Chernobyl, former USSR, Seinfeld, Dounri in United Kingdom, in radiochemical enterprises such as Chelyabinsk-65, “Mayak”, Tomsk-7, Krasnoyarsk-26; accidents of submarines Komsomolets and Koursk (Valyaev, 2008), Nuclear tests of USA, France, United Kingdom and other nuclear super powers; accidents in nuclear power stations in USA, Great Britain and other countries; unprecedented scales of terrorist acts, natural-manmade catastrophes, and with other factors all over the world urged the whole world to cooperate internationally in the most dangerous and difficult field of science, namely in the sphere of nuclear and energy security. In this process involved are the leaders of super powers, UN and its international organizations, especially IAEA and OSCE; NATO, and other international, governmental, public organizations.

FOR INFORMATION

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Nuclear Energy: Inherent problems

SAFETY – Necessity of confinement of nuclear radiation substances for prevention from going in to the public’s irradiated.

WASTE – Radioactive waste has a very long half-life which compared with whole life history on the Earth. Radioactive wastes will be generated during nuclear energy preparation cycle, and it will be existed over a long period after withdrawal from nuclear energy. The radioactive wastes increase in proportion to the cumulative operation time of nuclear reactor. Therefore this is the difficult problem always accompanying nuclear energy usage.

NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION – The problem of civil using of nuclear energy is its similarity with materials and technologies for nuclear weapons preparation. Proliferation problem will not disappear when nuclear reactor stops the operation. It should be controlled to avoid production of nuclear weapons on the basis of developed skills, technologies and materials.

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Importance of sound infrastructure

• Key to successful construction and operation of NPP• Covers a wide spectrum of issues

1. Economic competitiveness and financing

2. Public acceptance

3. Uranium resources

4. Safety and reliability

5. Fuel and waste management

6. Human and industrial resources

7. Proliferation risk and security

8. Infrastructures, especially in new countries

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Sarcophagus of IV reactor of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Саркафаг IV реактора ЧАЭС.

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Nuclear power today. States with nuclear energy programs

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Nuclear power tomorrow: States with nuclear energy programs

States considering nuclear energy programs

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Nuclear Energy: Novel nuclear energy systems

Novel nuclear energy systems have the superior features concerning environment and mineral resources.

PERSPECTIVE ON THE XXI CENTURY: The nuclear energy is one of the promising energy sources with less GHG emission, even there are problems of safety, nuclear waste and proliferation.

SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE: There are four principle conditions that it takes for co-evolution of science technology and society. a) Science and technology have formed a healthy evolutionary system; b) The values of bodies that play a role in science and technology are reflected in the values of modern society; c) The values created by science and technology are appropriately examined by society, which recognizes them properly; d) Society has a certain amount of confidence in science and technology, and groups involved with it.

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The vision for future nuclear energy Renaissance and long-term sustainability of nuclear energy: R – recycling; T-transmutation; U-uranium; Pu-plutonium; MA-minor actinides; DEU- depleted uranium; FP- fission products.

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Nuclear energy generation systems development and novel nuclear reactors.

For nuclear power systems today we are considering the three fuel cycle alternatives:Traditional thermal reactors with an “open” fuel cycle in which fuel is removed from reactors and sent to a disposal site;Thermal reactors with a “closed” fuel cycle (France, Russia, Japan) in which plutonium is extracted from the spent fuel and then re-used to fabricate once-through mixed uranium - plutonium oxide (MOX) fuel;

A two-component system incorporating thermal reactors with an “open” fuel cycle and a properly balanced number of fast reactors burning actinides separated from the spent fuel of thermal reactors. The fast reactors, fuel reprocessing and fabrication facilities should be placed together in safe nuclear “parks”.

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Nuclear energy generation systems development and novel nuclear reactors.

During last two decades it was established the concept of nuclear power development in the 21st century, which includes the following stages: ● Near-term (10-20 years): Evolutionary development of reactor and fuel cycle technologies (light water nuclear reactor - LWR, aqueous reprocessing); development and trial operation of advanced and innovative reactor and fuel cycle technologies (fast reactors, small reactors, dry reprocessing).● Middle-term (30-40 years): Fast growth of nuclear power; demonstration and introduction of innovative technologies; high-temperature reactors; small reactor facilities; hydrogen production and water desalination. ● Long-term (50-100 years): Large-scale deployment of the innovative technologies of naturally safe fast reactors and fuel cycle; fuel breeding; closed U-Pu and Th-U cycles; use of valuable isotopes and burning of hazardous nuclides; long-term geological isolation of radioactive waste.

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The nuclear reactors of different novel design were development. And among them it is necessary to underline: Simplified vessel-type boiling reactors with natural circulation of coolant;Advanced pressure-tube reactors with inherent safety features;Pressure-tube reactors with supercritical coolant parameters;Transportable nuclear power plants for heat and electricity supply in the far-away and difficult-of-access regions;Sodium – cooled loop-type fast reactor;Naturally safe fast reactors with heavy liquid metal coolant;Small-power reactors.

Nuclear reactors innovative developments.

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1 – core;2 – liners;3 – reactor shaft;4 – lead pipeline; 5 – core basket;6 – cooling system;7 – instrumentation column;8 – in-pile refuelling machine;9 – steam generator;10 – upper plate;11 – main circulation pump;12 – SG-MCP unit;13 – filter

Novel Nuclear Energy Technology (Russia)

BREST - 1200 MWt reactor may serve as the basic innovative facility for the large-scale deployment of nuclear power.

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high-boiling radiation-resistant low-activated lead coolant which does not react with water and air and hence affords low-pressure heat removal while excluding the possibility of fire, chemical and thermal explosions;

high-density highly heat-conductive mononitride fuel operating at low temperatures (Tmax<1150 K, with Tmelt =3100 K), which limits the radiation swelling (~1 % per 1 % burnup) and fission gas release under the cladding;

core and lead reflector design, the composition and geometry of which affords fuel breeding, provides small and negative power, temperature and void effects of reactivity, and small reactivity inventory in the core (k/k<eff) which rules out uncontrollable prompt criticality excursion in the event of inadvertent withdrawal of all control rods in any reactor condition.

Owing to this, it proved possible to abandon some engineered safety features which made this reactor significantly cheaper than other fast reactors developed today.

INHERENT SAFETY FEATURES OF 1200 MWt NPR

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Refuelling can be done by a refuelling machine both off-load and on-load, without power reduction.

The equivalent dose rate in the reactor hall will not exceed 29 Sv/h (2.9 mrem/h) during on-load operation, owing to which this area may be attended by personnel.

Pressure-Tube plant is a single reactor-turbine unit (monoblock). Each circulation loop of the reactor circuit has its own feedwater control valve. The configuration suggested by the designers allows limiting circulation pipeline diameters to 300 mm at a maximum.

The circulation circuit of 800 MW plant (-1000 MW) does not have check, isolation and fast-acting valves, which simplifies the plant operation and raises its safety and reliability.

The plant has natural circulation of coolant.

PRESSURE-TUBE POWER REACTORS AS EVOLUTIONARY DESIGN OF SOVIET RBMK-S.

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Fusion power stations will be particularly suited for base load energy generation to serve the needs of densely populated areas and industrial zones. They can also produce hydrogen for a “hydrogen economy”.Fusion is the process which powers the sun and other stars. Nuclei of low mass atoms “fuse” together and release energy. In the core of the sun, the huge gravitational pressure allows this to happen at temperatures of around 10 million degrees Celsius This is achieved by placing the plasma in a toroidal “cage”, made by strong magnetic fields, which prevent the electrically charged plasma particles from escaping: it is the most advanced technology and forms the basis for the international fusion experiment ITER. It is also the world’s biggest energy research project which includes a global scientific and technical collaboration to produce an experimental facility that will demonstrate the potential of fusion power and test many of the components needed for a practical fusion power station. It is being built at Cadarache in the south of France and will be the world’s largest tokamak – a toroidal (or doughnut-shaped) device that uses complex magnetic fields to confine and compress the extremely hot fusion plasma.

Nuclear Fusion as possible energy generation technology

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Tore Supra (Cadarache-France), high-performance plasma discharge of record duration.

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Nuclear power installations in Lithuania I

Lithuania closed its last nuclear reactor, which had been generating 70% of its electricity, at the end of 2009.  Electricity was a major export until the closure of Lithuania's nuclear plant.  Plans for a new nuclear reactor involve neighbouring countries. 

Ignalina reactors were originally 1500 MWe units (1380 MWe net), but were later de-rated to 1300 MWe (1185 MWe net). Construction started in 1978 and they came on line at the end of 1983 (unit 1) and in 1987 (unit 2), with a 30-year design life. They are light-water, graphite-moderated types, similar to those at Chernobyl in the Ukraine. Construction on a third reactor at Ignalina commenced in 1985 but was suspended after the 1986 Chernobyl accident, and the unit was later demolished.Shutdown power reactors in Lithuania

Reactor Type Net MWe First power Closed

Ignalina 1 RBMK 1185 12/1983 End of 2004

Ignalina 2 RBMK 1185 8/1987 End of 2009

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Nuclear power installations in Lithuania II

In February 2007, the three Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) and Poland agreed to build a new nuclear plant at Ignalina, initially with 3200 MWe capacity (2 x 1600 MWe). The Visaginas Nuclear Energy (Visagino Atominė Elektrinė, VAE) company was established in August 2008 for the new units.

The 11 reactor designs considered in the EIA report are: AP600 (Westinghouse-Toshiba, 600 MWe PWR); AP1000 (Westinghouse-Toshiba, 1000 MWe PWR); EC-6 (AECL, 700 MWe PHWR); ACR-1000 (AECL, 1085 MWe PHWR); V-392 (Atomstroyexport, 1006 MWe VVER); V-448 (Atomstroyexport, 1500 MWe VVER); SWR-1000 (Areva NP, 1254 MWe BWR); EPR (Areva NP, 1660 MWe PWR); ABWR (GE-Hitachi, 1300 MWe BWR); ESBWR (GE-Hitachi, 1535 MWe BWR); APWR (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, 1700 MWe PWR). A further design, the APR-1400 (Korea), is reportedly under consideration.

Belarus is also planning to build a VVER-1200 nuclear plant, initially with two units (Astravets district of the Hrodna region, 2016-20180. Early in 2008, Estonia's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication announced that it would compile a shortlist of possible locations in Estonia for the country's first nuclear power plant. Poland's largest power group, Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) is planning to build two nuclear power plants with a capacity of about 3000 MWe each (northeren Zarnowiec site near the Baltic Sea coast, 2020).

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Instead of Conclusions

• Nuclear can play a major role in greenhouse gas reduction by offsetting the need for increased coal generation.

• Problems of increased utilization can be overcome.

Water (its components) and novel nuclear energy technologies will be the main engine of power in the future centuries along with solar and other renewable natural sources.

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Thank you very much for your attention