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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2015) | Viewed by 57937

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Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Sekimoto

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Research Laboratory for Nuclear Reactors, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 0-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
Interests: nuclear energy in general; reactor engineering in general; fundamentals of reactor engineering; utilization and applications of reactors; reactor types/accessories; reactor safety; nuclear fuels
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Dear Colleagues,

Most of the presently utilized energy is produced by fossil fuels. They emit carbon-dioxide and cause global warming. Renewable energies are free from this problem. However, they have other problems, such as low density and unstable power rate.

Nuclear energy is expected to be a sustainable high-density energy source in the future, since it can supply stable energy without emitting large amounts of carbon-dioxide, and its resource amount is much more than fossil fuel, if fuel breeding is employed. However, if we use it for a long period, accumulated radioactive wastes become a severe problem. At present, the number of countries using nuclear energy is increasing, and total nuclear power generation is also increasing. Waste management has already become an issue of growing global concern.

This Special Issue of Energies will discuss the sustainability of nuclear power. The Special Issue will encompass waste management, not only with respect to underground disposal, but also other innovative methods, such as nuclear transmutation and other exotic methods. In this Special Issue, not only nuclear waste management, but also nuclear power generation methods are discussed; these methods utilize nuclear fuels in an efficient way, minimize radioactive waste, and satisfy safety and security requirements.

Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Sekimoto
Guest Editor

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Keywords

nuclear reactor
nuclear fuel cycle
sustainability
spent fuel
radioactive waste
safety
security

Published Papers (7 papers)

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4246 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spent Nuclear Fuel Management: Levelized Cost of Electricity Generation and Analysis of Various Production Scenarios

by Laura Rodriguez-Penalonga, Beatriz Yolanda Moratilla Soria, Paula Ocaña-Pastor, Paula Martín-Cañas, Borja Belda-Sánchez, Natalia Cortes-Sanz, Mathilde Estadieu, José Ignacio Linares-Hurtado, José Manuel Vidal-Bernardez and Marta Niño-Serrano

Energies 2016, 9(3), 178; https://doi.org/10.3390/en9030178 - 10 Mar 2016

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4885

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the results of an economic study carried out to compare the influence of nuclear production capacity in different countries. The analysis is based on LCOEs (levelized cost of electricity) for three back-end strategies: open cycle, closed cycle and advanced closed cycle. The results show that costs are not a relevant criteria in order to select an energy policy for the spent nuclear fuel management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Future of Nuclear Power)

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5101 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Conceptual Study of a Supercritical CO₂-Cooled Micro Modular Reactor

by Hwanyeal Yu, Donny Hartanto, Jangsik Moon and Yonghee Kim

Energies 2015, 8(12), 13938-13952; https://doi.org/10.3390/en81212405 - 09 Dec 2015

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 7174

Abstract

A neutronics conceptual study of a supercritical CO₂-cooled micro modular reactor (MMR) has been performed in this work. The suggested MMR is an extremely compact and truck-transportable nuclear reactor. The thermal power of the MMR is 36.2 MWth and it is designed to have a 20-year lifetime without refueling. A salient feature of the MMR is that all the components including the generator are integrated in a small reactor vessel. For a minimal volume and long lifetime of the MMR core, a fast neutron spectrum is utilized in this work. To enhance neutron economy and maximize the fuel volume fraction in the core, a high-density uranium mono-nitride U¹⁵N fuel is used in the fast-spectrum MMR. Unlike the conventional supercritical CO₂-cooled fast reactors, a replaceable fixed absorber (RFA) is introduced in a unique way to minimize the excess reactivity and the power peaking factor of the core. For a compact core design, the drum-type control absorber is adopted as the primary reactivity control mechanism. In this study, the neutronics analyses and depletions have been performed by using the continuous energy Monte Carlo Serpent code with the evaluated nuclear data file ENDF/B-VII.1 Library. The MMR core is characterized in view of several important safety parameters such as control system worth, fuel temperature coefficient (FTC) and coolant void reactivity (CVR), etc. In addition, a preliminary thermal-hydraulic analysis has also been performed for the hottest channel of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) MMR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Future of Nuclear Power)

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1854 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Asymptotic Solutions of Serial Radial Fuel Shuffling

by Xue-Nong Chen and Edgar Kiefhaber

Energies 2015, 8(12), 13829-13845; https://doi.org/10.3390/en81212398 - 04 Dec 2015

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4231

Abstract

In this paper, the mechanism of traveling wave reactors (TWRs) is investigated from the mathematical physics point of view, in which a stationary fission wave is formed by radial fuel drifting. A two dimensional cylindrically symmetric core is considered and the fuel is assumed to drift radially according to a continuous fuel shuffling scheme. A one-group diffusion equation with burn-up dependent macroscopic coefficients is set up. The burn-up dependent macroscopic coefficients were assumed to be known as functions of neutron fluence. By introducing the effective multiplication factor k_eff, a nonlinear eigenvalue problem is formulated. The 1-D stationary cylindrical coordinate problem can be solved successively by analytical and numerical integrations for associated eigenvalues k_eff. Two representative 1-D examples are shown for inward and outward fuel drifting motions, respectively. The inward fuel drifting has a higher k_eff than the outward one. The 2-D eigenvalue problem has to be solved by a more complicated method, namely a pseudo time stepping iteration scheme. Its 2-D asymptotic solutions are obtained together with certain eigenvalues k_eff for several fuel inward drifting speeds. Distributions of the neutron flux, the neutron fluence, the infinity multiplication factor k_inf and the normalized power are presented for two different drifting speeds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Future of Nuclear Power)

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1632 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Burning of Plutonium Originating from Light Water Reactor Use in a Fast Molten Salt Reactor—A Neutron Physical Study

by Bruno Merk and Dzianis Litskevich

Energies 2015, 8(11), 12557-12572; https://doi.org/10.3390/en81112328 - 05 Nov 2015

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 6790

Abstract

An efficient burning of the plutonium produced during light water reactor (LWR) operation has the potential to significantly improve the sustainability indices of LWR operations. The work offers a comparison of the efficiency of Pu burning in different reactor configurations—a molten salt fast reactor, a LWR with mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, and a sodium cooled fast reactor. The calculations are performed using the HELIOS 2 code. All results are evaluated against the plutonium burning efficiency determined in the Consommation Accrue de Plutonium dans les Réacteurs à Neutrons RApides (CAPRA) project. The results are discussed with special view on the increased sustainability of LWR use in the case of successful avoidance of an accumulation of Pu which otherwise would have to be forwarded to a final disposal. A strategic discussion is given about the unavoidable plutonium production, the possibility to burn the plutonium to avoid a burden for the future generations which would have to be controlled. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Future of Nuclear Power)

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1288 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design of an Extractive Distillation Column for the Environmentally Benign Separation of Zirconium and Hafnium Tetrachloride for Nuclear Power Reactor Applications

by Le Quang Minh, Nguyen Van Duc Long, Pham Luu Trung Duong, Youngmi Jung, Alireza Bahadori and Moonyong Lee

Energies 2015, 8(9), 10354-10369; https://doi.org/10.3390/en80910354 - 21 Sep 2015

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 8716

Abstract

Nuclear power with strengthened safety regulations continues to be used as an important resource in the world for managing atmospheric greenhouse gases and associated climate change. This study examined the environmentally benign separation of zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl₄) and hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl₄) for nuclear power reactor applications through extractive distillation using a NaCl-KCl molten salt mixture. The vapor–liquid equilibrium behavior of ZrCl₄ and HfCl₄ over the molten salt system was correlated with Raoult’s law. The molten salt-based extractive distillation column was designed optimally using a rigorous commercial simulator for the feasible separation of ZrCl₄ and HfCl₄. The molten salt-based extractive distillation approach has many potential advantages for the commercial separation of ZrCl₄ and HfCl₄ compared to the conventional distillation because of its milder temperatures and pressure conditions, smaller number of required separation trays in the column, and lower energy requirement for separation, while still taking the advantage of environmentally benign feature by distillation. A heat-pump-assisted configuration was also explored to improve the energy efficiency of the extractive distillation process. The proposed enhanced configuration reduced the energy requirement drastically. Extractive distillation can be a promising option competing with the existing extraction-based separation process for zirconium purification for nuclear power reactor applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Future of Nuclear Power)

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4984 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Unit Process Cost for an Engineering-Scale Pyroprocess Facility Using a Process Costing Method in Korea

by Sungki Kim, Wonil Ko and Sungsig Bang

Energies 2015, 8(8), 8775-8797; https://doi.org/10.3390/en8088775 - 18 Aug 2015

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 10753

Abstract

Pyroprocessing, which is a dry recycling method, converts spent nuclear fuel into U (Uranium)/TRU (TRansUranium) metal ingots in a high-temperature molten salt phase. This paper provides the unit process cost of a pyroprocess facility that can process up to 10 tons of pyroprocessing product per year by utilizing the process costing method. Toward this end, the pyroprocess was classified into four kinds of unit processes: pretreatment, electrochemical reduction, electrorefining and electrowinning. The unit process cost was calculated by classifying the cost consumed at each process into raw material and conversion costs. The unit process costs of the pretreatment, electrochemical reduction, electrorefining and electrowinning were calculated as 195 US$/kgU-TRU, 310 US$/kgU-TRU, 215 US$/kgU-TRU and 231 US$/kgU-TRU, respectively. Finally the total pyroprocess cost was calculated as 951 US$/kgU-TRU. In addition, the cost driver for the raw material cost was identified as the cost for Li₃PO₄, needed for the LiCl-KCl purification process, and platinum as an anode electrode in the electrochemical reduction process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Future of Nuclear Power)

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Review

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5284 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in Ocean Nuclear Power Plants

by Kang-Heon Lee, Min-Gil Kim, Jeong Ik Lee and Phill-Seung Lee

Energies 2015, 8(10), 11470-11492; https://doi.org/10.3390/en81011470 - 14 Oct 2015

Cited by 70 | Viewed by 13724

Abstract

In this paper, recent advances in Ocean Nuclear Power Plants (ONPPs) are reviewed, including their general arrangement, design parameters, and safety features. The development of ONPP concepts have continued due to initiatives taking place in France, Russia, South Korea, and the United States. Russia’s first floating nuclear power stations utilizing the PWR technology (KLT-40S) and the spar-type offshore floating nuclear power plant designed by a research group in United States are considered herein. The APR1400 and SMART mounted Gravity Based Structure (GBS)-type ONPPs proposed by a research group in South Korea are also considered. In addition, a submerged-type ONPP designed by DCNS of France is taken into account. Last, issues and challenges related to ONPPs are discussed and summarized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Future of Nuclear Power)

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