thorium report committee
TRANSCRIPT
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Thorium Report
Committee
Main Results
Professor Mikko Kara,Chairman of the Committee
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CHALLENGE FOR THE MANKIND!
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ENERGY IS TOP ON AGENDAS
EU IS FRONT-RUNNER:
The EU Climate and Energy Package - Targets by 2020:
Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 20 % compared to 1990 level.
Reduction of energy consumption by 20 % compared to 1990 level.
Increase the share of renewable sources in the EU energy mix to 20 %.
Increase the share of biofuels of transport petrol and diesel to 10 %.
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NORWEGIAN PETROLEUM PRODUCTION
APPROACHING ITS PEAK
0
40
80
120
160
200
240
280
197
0
197
5
198
0
198
5
199
0
199
5
200
0
200
5
201
0
O
il,G
as,
NG
L,
Co
ndensate
(M
illionS
m
3p
erYear)
0
252
503
755
1 006
1 258
1 509
1 761
O
il(
M
illionB
arrels
perYear)
Total
Oil
Gas
NGL
Condensate
Oil (Mill Barrels)
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CUMULATIVE NATURAL URANIUM
DEMAND AND RESERVES
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
M
illionT
onnesN
aturalU
ranium
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
G
tC
O
2E
quivalent
Reserves (US$80/kgU) Reserves (US$130/kgU) Nat. U demand (Million t U)
Nuclear Energy Agencys
Reference Scenario
Continued nuclear growth
Reported uranium reserves
used right after 2040
Reported reserves depend on
demand might increase
Breeder reactor technologywill change this development
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NUCLEAR FLEET IS RETIRING
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THORIUM IN NORWAY
0
100 000
200 000
300 000
400 000
500 000
600 000
700 000
Ton
nes
Australia
Ind
ia
United
States
Norw
ay
Canad
a
Other
countries
Sou
th
Africa
Bra
zil
M
alays
ia
Reserve Base
Reserves
US Geological Survey claimes that:
Norway has one of the majorthorium reserves in the world.
The Geological Survey of Norway:
Thorium has never been
specifically explored for Fen Complex most promising
Low concentration 0.1 0.4 wt%
Grain size too small for the
traditional flotation processes Norway has a potential resource
More investigations necessary todefine as a reserve
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THORIUM AS A NUCLEAR FUEL
Preparation of thorium fuel is more complex and expensive
than for uranium fuel Thorium as a nuclear fuel is technically well establishedand behaves remarkably well in LWR and HTR
Reprocessing thorium fuels will require a very substantial
amount of development work Waste management will in principal follow known
procedures and methods
Radiation protection requirements for the thorium cycle willbe lower than those of the uranium cycle
Technically, one of the best ways to dispose of a plutoniumstock pile is to burn it in a thorium-plutonium MOX fuel
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INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE OF THORIUM
Critical (Normal) Reactors - Selfsustaining
India
USA
USA, ORNL
USA
UK, OECD-EURATOM
also Norway, Sweden &
Switzerland
Germany
Germany
Country
1977 1982
1962 1980
100 MWe285 MWe
LWBR
PWR
Shippingport &
Indian Point
1964 19697.5 MWthMSBRMSRE
1976 1989330 MWeHTGRFort St Vrain
In operation
30 kWth
40 MWth100 MWth
MTR
KAMINI,
CIRUS &DHRUVA
1966 -197320 MWthHTGRDragon
1985 - 1989300 MWeHTGRTHTR
1967 - 198815 MWe
HTGRAVR
OperationPowerTypeName
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MOST PROJECTS USING THORIUM
WERE TERMINATED BY THE 1980s
Main Reasons:
The thorium fuel cycle could not competeeconomically with the well-known uranium cycle
Lack of political support for the development ofnuclear technology after the Chernobyl accident
Increased worldwide concern regarding theproliferation risk associated with reprocessing ofspent fuel
Except for India:
That utilize thorium for its long term energy security
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THORIUM IN NUCLEAR REACTORS
Accelerator Driven System (ADS)
Sub-critical Reactor Needs external neutron source
Proton accelerator Neutrons to the reactor core
Reactor core containing thorium
(and some U-235 or transuranic waste)
No ADS pilot scale in operation yet
Myrrah project started in 1997 (Belgium)
expected in operation by 2016 - 2018
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RECOMMENDATIONS The potential contribution of nuclear energy to a
sustainable energy future should be recognized
It is essential to asses whether thorium in Norwegianrocks can be defined as an economical asset for thebenefit of future generations
The development of an ADS using thorium is not withinthe capability of Norway working alone. Joining theEuropean effort in that field should be considered.
Norway should strengthen its international collaboration
by joining the EURATOM fission programme and GIFprogramme on Generation IV reactors suitable for theuse of thorium
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RECOMMENDATIONS (cont.)
Any new nuclear activity in Norway, e.g. thorium
fuel cycles, would need strong internationalpooling of human resources, and in the case of
thorium strong long-term commitment of the
education and basic science side. All theseshould be included in the country level strategy
aiming to develop new sustainable energy
sources
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SUMMARY
The current knowledge of thorium based energy
generation and the geology is not solid enoughto provide a final assesment regarding the
potential value for Norway of a thorium based
system for a long term energy production. The Committee recommends that the thorium
option be kept open in so far it represents an
interesting complement to the uranium option tostrengthen the sustainability of nuclear energy