Euratom innovation in nuclear fission: Community research in reactor systems and fuel cycles

Abstract

The following questions are naturally at the heart of the current Euratom research and training framework programme: (1) What are the challenges facing the European Union nuclear fission research community in the short (today), medium (2010) and long term (2040)? (2) What kind of research and technological development (RTD) does Euratom offer to respond to these challenges, in particular in the area of reactor systems and fuel cycles? In the general debate about energy supply technologies there are challenges of both a scientific and technological (S/T) as well as an economic and political (E/P) nature. Though the Community research programme acts mainly on the former, there is nevertheless important links with Community policy. These not only exist in the specific area of nuclear policy, but also more generally as is depicted in the following figure. [Display omitted] It is shown in the particular area of nuclear fission, to what extent Euratom research, education and innovation (“Knowledge Triangle” in above figure) respond to the following long-term criteria: (1) sustainability, (2) economics, (3) safety, and (4) proliferation resistance. Research and innovation in nuclear fission technology has broad and extended geographical, disciplinary and time horizons: • the community involved extends to all 25 EU Member States and beyond; • the research assembles a large variety of scientific disciplines; • three generations of nuclear power technologies (called II, III and IV) are involved, with the timescales extending from now to around the year 2040. To each of these three generations, a couple of challenges are associated (six in total): • Generation II (1970–2000, today): security of supply + environmental compatibility; • Generation III (around 2010): enhanced safety and competitiveness (economics); • Generation IV (around 2040): cogeneration of heat and power, and full recycling. At the European Commission (EC), the research related to nuclear reactor systems and fuel cycles is principally under the responsibility of two Directorates Generals (DG): • DG Research (RTD, located in Brussels), which implements and manages the programme of “indirect actions”, i.e. multi-partner projects undertaken by consortia made up of national laboratories, industrial bodies and other research organisations in the EU, usually on a shared cost basis ( http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/euratom.html); • DG Joint Research Centre (JRC, headquarters in Brussels and seven scientific institutes in five Member States), which carries out “direct actions” in their own laboratories. In the frame of the enlargement of the European Union, the JRC facilities and competences are made available to a large number of countries ( http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/). In this overview paper, the emphasis is on the indirect actions related to innovation in nuclear fission, as they are conducted in the Unit “Nuclear Fission and Radiation Protection” of DG Research/Directorate J Energy (Euratom) (6th Euratom research framework programme/2003–2006/FP-6). The total EC contribution for this specific research is 78 million EUR. The related Community research projects are spread over the four sub-areas that are listed in the table below and described in more details further down in the paper. To carry out the above research, new financial instruments were used, namely: “networks of excellence” (NoE) and “integrated projects” (IP), also discussed in this paper. Numerous examples are given of the unique synergy between Euratom research, education and innovation in nuclear fission. The emphasis in this paper is on the S/T challenges and on the response that the “European Research Area” offers, in collaboration with private and public stakeholders. Conclusions are drawn regarding the role that nuclear fission energy plays at the EU level as part of the solution in a balanced energy mix. Area EC contribution (million EUR) Total cost (million EUR) Safety of existing installations (projects: PERFECT, SARNET, NURESIM, COVERS) 19 52 Innovative reactor systems and fuel cycles (projects: RAPHAEL, GCFR, ELSY, HPLWR) 17 35 Partitioning and transmutation (projects: EUROPART, EUROTRANS, RED-IMPACT, ACTINET) 38 67 Education and training and infrastructures (projects: ENEN/NEPTUNO, ENETRAP, …, JHR, HOTLAB) 4 4 Total 78 158