The Status of the IAEA International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) and the Ongoing Activities of the Phase 1B of INPRO

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Steur ◽  
Frank Depisch ◽  
Juergen Kupitz
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
International Project ◽  
Member States ◽  
Fuel Cycles ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
The Status ◽  
Phase 1B ◽  
Technology Users

The IAEA General Conference in 2000 has invited “all interested Member States to combine their efforts under the aegis of the Agency in considering the issues of the nuclear fuel cycle, in particular by examining innovative and proliferation-resistant nuclear technology”. In response to this invitation, the IAEA initiated an “International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles” (INPRO). The overall objectives of INPRO are to help to ensure that nuclear energy is available to contribute in fulfilling in a sustainable manner energy needs in the 21st century, and to bring together all interested Member States, both technology holders and technology users, to consider jointly the international and national actions required to achieve desired innovations in nuclear reactors and fuel cycles that use sound and economically competitive technology. In the first phase of the project the report “Guidance for the evaluation of innovative nuclear reactors and fuel cycles” has been published. (June 2003, IAEA tecdoc 1362, Report of Phase 1A) In the following phase member states are contributing by case studies to validate the methodology for assessment and to evaluate the application of the basic principles, requirements and criteria. The paper will shortly summarize the main findings of the published report in the following fields (a) Prospects and Potentials of Nuclear Power, (b) Economics; (c) Sustainability and Environment, (d) Safety of Nuclear Installations, (e) Waste Management, (f) Proliferation Resistance, (g) Crosscutting issues and (h) the Methodology for Assessment. Further on the paper will deal with the actual phase of INPRO and the ongoing activities.

The IAEA’s International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO)

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juergen Kupitz
Keyword(s):  
Phase I ◽  
International Collaboration ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
International Project ◽  
Nuclear Technology ◽  
User Requirements ◽  
Member States ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
Fuel Cycles

This paper presents the IAEA International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO). It defines its rationale, key objectives and specifies the organizational structure. The IAEA General Conference (2000) has invited “all interested Member States to combine their efforts under the aegis of the Agency in considering the issues of the nuclear fuel cycle, in particular by examining innovative and proliferation-resistant nuclear technology” (GC(44)/RES/21) and invited Member States to consider to contribute to a task force on innovative nuclear reactors and fuel cycle (GC(44)/RES/22). In response to this invitation, the IAEA initiated an “International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles”, INPRO. The Terms of Reference for INPRO were adopted at a preparatory meeting in November 2000, and the project was finally launched by the INPRO Steering Committee in May 2001. At the General Conference in 2001, first progress was reported, and the General Conference adopted a resolution on “Agency Activities in the Development of Innovative Nuclear Technology” [GC(45)/RES/12, Tab F], giving INPRO a broad basis of support. The resolution recognized the “unique role that the Agency can play in international collaboration in the nuclear field”. It invited both “interested Member States to contribute to innovative nuclear technology activities” at the Agency as well as the Agency itself “to continue it’s efforts in these areas”. Additional endorsement came in a UN General Assembly resolution in December 2001 (UN GA 2001, A/RES/56/94), that again emphasized “the unique role that the Agency can play in developing user requirements and in addressing safeguards, safety and environmental questions for innovative reactors and their fuel cycles” and stressed “the need for international collaboration in the development of innovative nuclear technology”. As of February 2002, the following countries or entities have become members of INPRO: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Turkey and the European Commission. In total, 15 cost-free experts have been nominated by their respective governments or international organizations. The objective of INPRO is to support the safe, sustainable, economic and proliferation resistant use of nuclear technology to meet the global energy needs of the 21st century. Phase I of INPRO was initiated in May 2001. During Phase I, work is subdivided in two subphases: Phase IA (in progress): Selection of criteria and development of methodologies and guidelines for the comparison of different concepts and approaches, taking into account the compilation and review of such concepts and approaches, and determination of user requirements. Phase IB (to be started after Phase IA is completed): Examination of innovative nuclear energy technologies made available by Member States against criteria and requirements. This examination will be co-ordinated by the Agency and performed with participatio of Member States on the basis of the user requirements and methodologies established in Phase IA. In the first phase, six subject groups were established: Resources, Demand and User requirements for Economics; User requirements for the Environment, Fuel cycle and Waste; User requirements for Safety; User requirements for Non-proliferation; User requirements for crosscutting issues; Criteria and Methodology.

Development Trends in Nuclear Technology and Related Safety Aspects

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kuczera ◽  
P. E. Juhn ◽  
K. Fukuda
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
Nuclear Technology ◽  
User Requirements ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Safety Requirements ◽  
Fuel Cycles ◽  
High Level

The IAEA Safety Standards Series include, in a hierarchical manner, the categories of Safety Fundamentals, Safety Requirements and Safety Guides, which define the elements necessary to ensure the safety of nuclear installations. In the same way as nuclear technology and scientific knowledge advance continuously, also safety requirements may change with these advances. Therefore, in the framework of the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) one important aspect among others refers to user requirements on the safety of innovative nuclear installations, which may come into operation within the next fifty years. In this respect, the major objectives of the INPRO subtask “User Requirements and Nuclear Energy Development Criteria in the Area of Safety” have been: a. to overview existing national and international requirements in the safety area, b. to define high level user requirements in the area of safety of innovative nuclear technologies, c. to compile and to analyze existing innovative reactor and fuel cycle technology enhancement concepts and approaches intended to achieve a high degree of safety, and d. to identify the general areas of safety R&D needs for the establishment of these technologies. During the discussions it became evident that the application of the defence in depth strategy will continue to be the overriding approach for achieving the general safety objective in nuclear power plants and fuel cycle facilities, where the emphasis will be shifted from mitigation of accident consequences more towards prevention of accidents. In this context, four high level user requirements have been formulated for the safety of innovative nuclear reactors and fuel cycles. On this basis safety strategies for innovative reactor designs are highlighted in each of the five levels of defence in depth and specific requirements are discussed for the individual components of the fuel cycle.

Framework for Assessing Transition Scenarios to Sustainable Nuclear Energy Systems

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galina Fesenko ◽  
Vladimir Kuznetsov ◽  
Vladimir Usanov
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Member States ◽  
Fuel Cycles

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) was established in 2000 with the goal to ensure a sustainable nuclear energy supply to meet the global energy needs in the 21st century. The INPRO activities on global and regional nuclear energy scenarios provide newcomers and mature nuclear countries alike with better understanding of options for making a collaborative transition to future sustainable nuclear energy systems. Collaborative project GAINS (Global Architecture of Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems Based on Thermal and Fast Reactors Including a Closed Fuel Cycle) developed an internationally verified analytical framework for assessing such transition scenarios. The framework (hereafter, GAINS framework) is a part of the integrated services provided by IAEA to Member States considering initial development or expansion of their nuclear energy programmes. The paper presents major elements of the analytical framework and selected results of its application, including: • Long-term nuclear energy demand scenarios based on the IAEA Member States’ high and low estimations of nuclear power deployment until 2030 and expected trends until 2050 and on forecasts of competent international energy organizations; • Heterogeneous world model comprised of groups of non-personified non-geographical countries (NGs) with different policy regarding nuclear fuel cycle back end; • Architectures of nuclear energy systems; • Metrics and tools for the assessment of dynamic nuclear energy system evolution scenarios regarding sustainability, including a set of key indicators and evaluation parameters; • An internationally verified database with best estimate material flow and economic characteristics of existing and advanced nuclear reactors and associated nuclear fuel cycles needed for material flow analysis and comparative economic analysis, extending the previously developed IAEA databases and taking into account preferences of different countries; • Selected results of sample analysis for scenarios involving transition from the present fleets of nuclear reactors and fuel cycles to future sustainable nuclear energy system architectures involving innovative technological solutions.

DESAE (Dynamic Energy System- Atomic Energy): Integrated Computer Model for Perfoming Global Analysis in INPRO Assessment Studies

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Tsibulskiy ◽  
S. Subbotin ◽  
M. Khoroshev ◽  
F. Depisch
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Computer Model ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Energy System ◽  
International Project ◽  
Fuel Cycles ◽  
Energy Needs

The Agency’s International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) was established to help to ensure that nuclear energy is available to contribute, in a sustainable manner, to the energy needs in the 21st century. In 2005, its membership continued to grow, with Ukraine and United States of America becoming additional members, and total INPRO membership now stands at 24.

scholarly journals Small nuclear power plants for power supply in arctic regions: assessment of spent nuclear fuel radioactivity

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-125
Author(s):  
Vadim Naumov ◽  
Sergey Gusak ◽  
Andrey Naumov
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Mass Composition ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Fuel Cycles ◽  
Reactor Cores

The purpose of the present study is the investigation of mass composition of long-lived radionuclides accumulated in the fuel cycle of small nuclear power plants (SNPP) as well as long-lived radioactivity of spent fuel of such reactors. Analysis was performed of the published data on the projects of SNPP with pressurized water-cooled reactors (LWR) and reactors cooled with Pb-Bi eutectics (SVBR). Information was obtained on the parameters of fuel cycle, design and materials of reactor cores, thermodynamic characteristics of coolants of the primary cooling circuit for reactor facilities of different types. Mathematical models of fuel cycles of the cores of reactors of ABV, KLT-40S, RITM-200M, UNITERM, SVBR-10 and SVBR-100 types were developed. The KRATER software was applied for mathematical modeling of the fuel cycles where spatial-energy distribution of neutron flux density is determined within multi-group diffusion approximation and heterogeneity of reactor cores is taken into account using albedo method within the reactor cell model. Calculation studies of kinetics of burnup of isotopes in the initial fuel load (235U, 238U) and accumulation of long-lived fission products (85Kr, 90Sr, 137Cs, 151Sm) and actinoids (238,239,240,241,242Pu, 236U, 237Np, 241Am, 244Cm) in the cores of the examined SNPP reactor facilities were performed. The obtained information allowed estimating radiation characteristics of irradiated nuclear fuel and implementing comparison of long-lived radioactivity of spent reactor fuel of the SNPPs under study and of their prototypes (nuclear propulsion reactors). The comparison performed allowed formulating the conclusion on the possibility in principle (from the viewpoint of radiation safety) of application of SNF handling technology used in prototype reactors in the transportation and technological process layouts of handling SNF of SNPP reactors.

IAEA INPRO Project: A Vision of How to Meet the Opportunities and Challenges of Large-Scale Nuclear Energy Development

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Khoroshev ◽  
F. Depisch ◽  
S. Subbotin
Keyword(s):  
Energy Supply ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy Development ◽  
International Project ◽  
Fuel Cycles ◽  
Sustainable Energy Supply

The IAEA International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) can be considered as the IAEA’s response to the challenges of growing energy demand. INPRO’s activities are intended to help to achieve one of the main objectives of the IAEA — to promote the development and peaceful use of nuclear energy. INPRO applies a carefully developed Methodology to assess Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems (INS) and to define R&D needs and deployment strategies for the development of large-scale regional and global INS. The purpose is to match the opportunities and challenges of sustainable energy supply provided by nuclear energy (NE) to the global balance of demands and resources.

Future Fuel Cycles: A Global Perspective

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romney B. Duffey
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Water ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Nuclear Power Reactor ◽  
Energy Futures ◽  
Fuel Cycles ◽  
Reactor Technology ◽  
Heavy Water Reactor ◽  
Enriched Uranium

Nuclear energy must be made available, freely and readily, to help meet world energy needs. The perspective offered here is a model for others to consider, adopting and adapting using whatever elements fit their own strategies and needs. The underlying philosophy is to retain flexibility in the reactor development, deployment and fuel cycle, while ensuring the principle that customer, energy market, safety, non-proliferation and sustainability needs are all addressed. Canada is the world’s largest exporter of uranium, providing about one-third of the world supply for nuclear power reactors. Canada’s Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) has developed a unique world-class nuclear power reactor technology — the CANDU® reactor based on the Pressure Tube Reactor (PTR) concept, moderated by heavy water (D2O), also sometimes called the Pressurized Heavy Water reactor or PHWR. With expectations of significant expansion in nuclear power programs worldwide and the resultant concerns about uranium availability and price, there is a growing desire to improve resource utilization by extracting more energy from each tonne of mined fissionable material. Attention is therefore being increasingly focused on fuel cycles that are more energy efficient, reduce waste streams and ensure sustainable futures. There are also many compelling reasons to utilize advanced fuel cycles in PTR (CANDU-type) thermal spectrum reactors. Because of its inherent technical characteristics, PTRs have a great deal of fuel cycle flexibility. The combination of relatively high neutron efficiency (provided by heavy water moderation and careful selection of core materials), on-line fuelling capability and simple fuel bundle design mean that PTR reactors can use not only natural and enriched uranium, but also a wide variety of other fuels including thorium-based fuels and those resulting from the recycle of irradiated fuel. In addition, the PTR can be optimized as a very effective “intermediate burner” to provide efficient fuel cycles that remove residual minor actinides. This inherent fuel cycle flexibility offers many technical, resource and sustainability, and economic advantages over other reactor technologies and is the subject of this paper. The design evolution and intent is to be consistent with improved or enhanced safety, licensing and operating limits and global proliferation concerns, and sustainable energy futures.

4. Nuclear power

2019 ◽  
pp. 74-84
Author(s):  
Nick Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
Nuclear Fission ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Of all the sources of energy used for electricity generation, nuclear power is the most contentious with strong opinions both favouring and opposing its use. Some well-known environmentalists consider that the use of nuclear power is essential to limit climate change, while expressing reservations over its environmental impacts. ‘Nuclear power’ explains that there are two mechanisms by which nuclear energy could be used to create heat and so generate power; nuclear fission and fusion. Nuclear power reactors create heat, which is used to make steam that is then passed through a turbine to generate electricity. The nuclear fuel cycle is described along with the different generations of nuclear reactors.

Materials of New Generation in Nuclear Power Industry

2014 ◽  
Vol 1040 ◽  
pp. 74-79
Author(s):  
Igor Shamanin ◽  
Sergey Bedenko ◽  
Ildar Gubaydulin ◽  
Nataliya Novikova
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Cycle ◽  
Fuel Rods ◽  
Fuel Assemblies ◽  
Technical Solutions ◽  
New Generation ◽  
Thorium 232

The results providing advantages of thorium-232 as a reproducing nuclide in comparison with uranium-238 as a part of nuclear fuel of new generation reactors are presented. The explanation of the effects which were found earlier in numerical simulation of parameters of open thorium - plutonium nuclear fuel cycle is offered. Scientific and technical solutions allow considering the possibility of including thorium-232 in the fuel of nuclear reactors, which are based on existing design solutions, and beginning the design of new generation materials: a new generation of fuel rods and fuel assemblies, where the isotope uranium-238 will be completely replaced with thorium-232.

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