Reactor Fundamentals Ray Ganthner Sr. Vice President AREVA NP “Role of Nuclear Power” 2007 Summer Workshop Washington and Lee University and the Council on Foreign Relations

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 2 Outline >Uranium Fuel and Usage >Fundamental Electricity Generation Cycle >Technology Options/Choices >The Commercial Nuclear Power Generation Industry Today

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 3 Uranium as Fuel Mining, Conversion, Generation

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 4 Uranium Ore Exploration

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 5 Uranium Global Resources

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 6 World Uranium Reserves >Australia24% >Kazakhstan17 >Canada13 >South Africa 9 >Russia 6 >Nambia 6 >US 4 >Niger 3 >Uzbekistan 3 Most Uranium currently comes from Canada, followed by Australia and Niger

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 7 World Uranium Production

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 8 Uranium Mine in Niger (Sahara Desert)

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 9 Conversion of Uranium Ore to “Yellow Cake”

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 10 COMURHEX – Malvesi U3O8 → UF4

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 11 COMURHEX – Pierrelatte UF4 → UF6

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 12 Centrifuge Enrichment Feed Enriched exit Depleted exit U235 is lighter and collects in the center (Enriched) U238 is heavier and collects on the outside walls (Depleted/Tails) Feed to Next Stage

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 13 Centrifuge Cascade

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 14 UF6 to UO2 Powder to Pellets

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 15 Fuel Pellets

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 16 Uranium Is Encased in Solid Ceramic Pellets after Enrichment

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 17 Nuclear Fuel Assembly Fuel Pellet

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 18 Fuel Assembly for Light Water Reactor

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 19 Fuel Assemblies are Inserted in Reactor Vessel

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 20 PWR Reactor Vessel 41 feet tall 14 feet ID 8.5 inch thick walls 665 tons

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 21 Typical PWR Reactor Pressure Vessel Description Technical Data Life time60 years Coolant pressure at reactor pressure vessel outlet during power operation 2250 psia Coolant temperature at reactor pressure vessel inlet at full load 563 F Coolant temperature at reactor pressure vessel outlet at full load 624 F Design pressure2550 psia Design temperature664 F CLHL

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 23 Pressurized Water Reactor PWR

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 24 Pressurized Water Reactor Plant

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 25 Pressurized Water Reactor Plant

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 26 Boiling Water Reactor BWR

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 27 Selection of Technology Options >Key Decisions  Fuel  Moderator  Cooling >US Path  Based on government prototypes  Navy Influence

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 28 A New Age Begins: 1950s >By 1950, several countries had operating nuclear reactors. Most were dedicated to research and “proof-of-principal.” >During the 1950s and early-1960s, many experimental and proto-type reactor designs were developed:  Liquid Metal Cooled (EBR-1)  Boiling Water (BORAX III, Dresden 1)  Pressurized Water (Shippingport, Yankee Rowe)  Gas Cooled (Calder Hall, Marcoule)  Heavy-Water Moderated (Zoe, NRX, NRU)  Liquid Metal Cooled, Graphite Moderated

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 29 Shippingport MWe

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 30 Technologies Emerge Based on National Resources and Government Policies >Light Water Reactors emerged as the dominant technology in the US. Factors were:  US navy reactors, which were of LWR design (predominantly PWR), were driving commercial designs.  LWR prototypes performed well, with the right mix of features that appealed to utilities. Compact reactor designs Inherent safety characteristics (negative power coefficient, negative void coefficient) Good economics Trained workers and lessons-learned from US Navy  U enrichment technology available at low cost.

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 31 >Successful CANDU design capitalizes on abundant uranium supplies and complete separation from weapons technology. >France and England adopted gas cooled natural U reactors due to lack of indigenous U separation technology. France adopted PWR technology only after a national commitment to U enrichment/separation facilities. Technologies Emerge Based on National Resources And Government Policies

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 32 Indian Point MWe Oyster Creek MWe

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 33 Generation II Reactors >Based on the successes of prototype reactors, the next generation of high power LWRs were designed.  400 MWe to 600 MWe LWRs came on line in the late 1960s  800 MWe to 1000 MWe LWRs came on line in the 1970s  1000 MWe to 1450 MWe LWRs on line in 1980’s & 1990s >Each design was based on experience with the one before. >While standard designs were promoted in Canada, England and France, there was a lack of standardization in the US:  Babcock & Wilcox: 2-Loop PWRs with OTSGs  Combustion Engineering: 2-Loop PWRs with RSGs  General Electric: BWR/2, BWR/4, BWR/6  Westinghouse Electric: 2- 4 Loop

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 34 Current Situation >Worldwide 441 nuclear generation plants  104 operating in US (providing 20% of US electricity)  Predominantly Light Water Reactors (LWR) >Worldwide 27 reactors under construction  None in US >New reactor designs available (Generation III)  Improved safety  Improved economics >Generation IV reactors being developed  Gas or sodium cooled  Assist in “closing” the fuel cycle

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 35 Near-Term Generation III+ Designs For US >US EPR by AREVA >ESBWR and ABWR by General Electric >AP1000 by Westinghouse/Toshiba

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 36 Generation III Reactor Design Goals >Reduced construction time and cost. >Simplified to reduce operational cost. >Fleet-wide standard design and equipment. >Improved man-machine interface. Reduced operator burden. >Increased safety.

Reactor Fundamentals Ray Ganthner Sr. Vice President AREVA NP “Role of Nuclear Power” 2007 Summer Workshop Washington and Lee University and the Council on Foreign Relations

Backups for possible discussion.

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 39 Possible Locations for New Nuclear Plants

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 40 Source: Bjorn Lomborg – The Skeptical Environmentalist

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 41 Nuclear has very low life-cycle CO 2 emissions If we assume that nuclear electricity is used for uranium enrichment, rather than coal electricity, nuclear life-cycle emissions drop further

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 42 The COGEMA-La Hague plant

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 43

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 44 Recirculating Steam Generator

Reactor Fundamentals 2007 AREVA NP Inc. 45 A Typical Steam Generator