Session GM2: Mini-conference on Nuclear Renaissance I: Where is it Going and Where Does Fusion Fit In?

Nuclear Energy Present and Future

Nuclear power plants currently generate about 20\% of US and 17\% of world electricity, which makes nuclear the largest non-emitting energy source in current use. Concerns about global climate change have led to a remarkable transformation of attitudes towards nuclear energy. There remain key challenges that must be faced when considering expansion of its contribution. In summary they are: Economics, Safety, Waste Disposal, and Proliferation. Electricity from legacy fission plants is highly competitive with fossil, but perceived financial risks make the large capital cost fraction a key hurdle to new-construction, and costs of \$2 per installed Watt electrical are currently considered only just economically attractive. Proliferation of nuclear-weapons-enabling technology is a major concern for global stability, in which fusion may have significant technical advantages over fission. But proliferation control requires a combination of both technical and political initiatives. The feasibility of supplying process heat or hydrogen from nuclear energy inspires additional research into novel reactor concepts and associated technologies. The presentation will lay out this overall context of the nuclear energy renaissance.   

Nuclear Energy's Renaissance

Nuclear energy is about to enter its renaissance. After almost 30 years of new plant construction dormancy, utilities are seriously preparing for ordering new plants in the next two years. This resurgence in interest is based on improved plant performance, new Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing processes, significant incentives introduced by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to encourage new orders, and new technologies that are competitive, simpler to operate and safer. These new evolutionary light water reactors will pave the way to more advanced high temperature gas reactors such as the pebble bed or prismatic reactors that will provide improved efficiency and safety leading to more process heat applications in oil extraction or hydrogen production. The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) also authorized by the Energy Policy act will provide the fundamental technical basis for the future of these technologies. Progress continues on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal site enabling this expansion. When coupled with the long term strategy of waste minimization through reprocessing and actinide destruction as proposed in the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, the future of nuclear energy as part of this nation's energy mix appears to be assured.   

The Historic Growth and Subsequent Atrophy of the U.S. Nuclear Fission Technology and Supply Capability and Possible Lessons Learned for Fusion

The rapid growth of the U.S.\ Nuclear fission capability and the relationship between industry and government from its beginnings in the 1950s to the present, offers some possibly useful insight to the ongoing evolution of the U.S.\ fusion energy capability. Politics within the fusion and fission communities and between each respective community and the government will be considered.   

Key Technological Challenges for Fission Reactors and What It Means for Fusion

With the renaissance of nuclear technology around the globe, research is planned or underway to study advanced fission reactor concepts that offer economic benefits, enhanced safety, decreased proliferation risk, and reduced waste burden relative to the current generation of nuclear reactor systems as part of the DOE Generation IV and Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Programs. Much of the technology development in these fission systems is similar to those in fusion blanket and power conversion systems. Examples of the overlap in the areas of power conversion technologies, materials corrosion, welding and joining technologies, materials response under neutron irradiation, high temperature materials and coolants compatibility, first-principles materials modeling, materials design rules, and tritium/hydrogen behavior in materials will be given. The fusion community can help advance its technology development activities by actively engaging and leveraging much of the common cross-cutting research.