a year of progress june 2016 - u-battery · a year of progress june 2016 urenco cammell-laird...
TRANSCRIPT
A Year of Progress
June 2016
URENCO Cammell-Laird AMECFW WSAtkins Laing O’Rourke
2
What is U-Battery?
• A source of heat and
electricity installed at the
point of use – embedded
power
• For end users, it provides
a solution to their Energy
Trilemma
U-Battery: Technology and Fuel
• Reactor Building footprint projected to be equivalent
to penalty area on soccer pitch.
• TRISO fuel was first developed in the UK and has a
long and successful history of development and
deployment. Discussions have taken place with
several international vendors including BWXT. TRISO
fuel provides damage resistance to temperatures of
1600˚C – well above worse case scenarios.
• This fuel type is at a high level of Technology
Readiness and underpins our safety case.3
• High Temperature Gas Reactor technology, with each
reactor rated at 10MW(th) & 4MW(e).
• Nearly 20% U-235 enriched accident tolerant TRISO
fuel, embedded within Prismatic Block type fuel.
• Helium primary coolant transferring heat via
intermediate heat exchanger to a nitrogen Closed
Brayton Cycle secondary.
• Reactor outlet temperature of 750˚C.
• Cycle efficiency of >40% when producing electricity
through gas turbine-alternator.
4
Energy Requirements served
5
TRISO TRL 9 - U-Battery TRL 2System
GroupSub-System / Major Equipment TRL
Primary
System
Reactor Pressure Vessel Medium
Core Mechanical Design Low
Primary Gas Duct Medium
Intermediate Heat Exchanger Medium
Primary Gas Circulator High
Secondary
System
Recuperator High
Pre-Cooler High
Power
Conversion
Systems
Gas Turbine Medium
Compressor(s) Medium
Intercooler(s) High
Alternator High
Start-Up Motor High
Tertiary
Systems
Cooling Tower(s) High
Tertiary Coolant Pumps High
System
GroupSub-System TRL
Auxiliary
Systems
Ancillary Cooling Systems Medium
Coolant Make-Up Systems Medium
Building Services High
Start-Up and Shutdown-Systems High
Fuel Route
Systems
Dry Store Cell(s) Medium
Flasking Facility Medium
Fuelling Machine Low
Flasks Medium
Reactor and Control Rod Servicing Equipment Low
Control and
Safety
Systems
Electronic Control System Medium
Control Room and Control Equipment Medium
Fire Detection and Suppression (FDS) Systems High
Building Security Systems High
Members
Project Development
Leading Members Supporting Organisations
Technical and Cost Development
• Overall U-Battery Conceptual Design
Review– Design updates to find and use existing transport flask,
Excellox not possible
– Review decision between BeO and graphite moderator
– Two single units or a twin reactor unit using a single
turbine/generator
• Product Breakdown Structure Delivered
• Cost Estimate Model Developed– Atkins/Faithful and Gould Cost Estimators
• Major Component Conceptual Design
Delivered– Reactor Pressure Vessel
– Intermediate Heat Exchanger
• Interaction with partners and Tier 1
supply chain to deliver cost estimate
7
8
The markets and applications vary by country.
• In UK and many other countries, the market is
for embedded generation at industrial sites.
Many sites can make use of the cogeneration
capability. Such deployment avoids significant
grid connection costs.
• In Canada, there are many remote
communities that are not connected to a
national grid currently operating diesel
generators. This is true, also, for many islands
and parts of the developing world where it
would obviate the need to build a national grid.
• In the nuclear industry, U-Batteries could be
always-on emergency generators for large
nuclear power plants.
• Desalination is a further application.
• Deployment at military sites may be attractive
Projected Markets
International Interest
9
Poland
• Letter of Intent to investigate early deployment at
NCBJ site, near Warsaw
• Potential for Polish, EU structural and Euratom/EIB
funding
US
• Presented at US Nuclear Infrastructure
Conference in Oak Ridge Feb 2016
• Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy
• NRC has initiated a programme to consider
licensing for non-LWRsJapan
• Interest of JAEA to bring expertise derived from HTTR.
• NDA signed.
Canada
• Ontario Energy Ministry/Natural Resources Canada
study executed by Hatch. In top 9/100. Study
recommended direct engagement.
• Interest in early deployment at Chalk River
UK/URENCO
• URENCO £4m for Phase 1
• Partners “sweat” equity
• Seeking matched funding from Govt.
• DECC SMR TEA and micro-reactor study
• DECC SMR Competition
Funding
• Phase 1– URENCO £4m
– Partner “sweat equity”
– Matched funding sought from UK Govt.
– Potential new partners and/or from international interest
• Phase 2 and beyond– URENCO to continue assuming that we pass stage-gates
– Partners have the same choice
– Further partners may join
– UK Govt, EU or other international development funding is possible
– Both Rothschild and PWC have indicated that equity and debt funding
will be possible at this stage.
10
Summary and Conclusion
• Technology is deliverable – Development not Research.
• The market for micro-reactors is there.
• Licensing needs to be target-based, as in UK, Canada etc. NRC has seen a need to
review its processes acknowledging that its current licensing was created for large
LWRs
• Financing is simpler than large reactors because the capital cost is lower and the
construction period is much shorter.
• Much of the competition is with diesel or CCGT so the business model foresees an
organisation that allows customers to buy power - a utility. It foresees an
organisation that will maintain and re-fuel U-Batteries.
• We have a strong team and we are delivering
11
