BENEFITS OF THE INITIATIVE
Nuclear power has reliably and economically contributed
approximately 20 percent of electrical generation in the United
States over the past 2 decades. It remains the single largest
contributor (more than 70 percent) of non-greenhouse-gasemitting
electric power generation in the United States. Domestic
demand for electrical energy is expected to grow at an average
rate of 1 percent per year. As electricity demand increases, most
currently operating nuclear power plants will begin reaching the
end of their 60-year operating licenses (the 40-year initial license
with one 20-year license renewal). If currently operating nuclear
power plants do not operate beyond 60 years, the total fraction
of generated electrical energy from nuclear power will begin
to decline—even with the expected addition of new nuclear
generating capacity. The oldest commercial plants in the United
States reached their 40th anniversary and began operations under
their first 20-year license renewal period in 2009.
Continued safe and economical operation of current reactors
beyond the current license renewal lifetime of 60 years is a low-risk
option to fill the gap and to add new power generation at a fraction
of the cost of building new plants. The cost to replace the current
fleet would require hundreds of billions of dollars. Replacement
of this 100 GWe generating capacity with traditional fossil plants
would lead to significant increases in greenhouse gas emissions.
Extending operating licenses beyond 60 to perhaps 80 years
would enable existing plants to continue providing safe, clean, andTo provide the technical basis for this life extension, the following five R&D pathways
have been identified:
•
science-based fundamental understanding of materials and degradation
to reduce the uncertainty in analytical predictions and provide insights for
developing components with longer lifetimes. Enhanced understanding
of key materials aging and degradation phenomena will support longerterm
operation of existing reactors, licensing for extended operations, and
component life predictions for critical structures and systems.
Materials Aging and Degradation Assessment R&D will enhance •
designs using advanced materials for fuel and cladding. Long-life designs
will achieve substantial increases in safety margins and performance,
eliminate fuel failures, and achieve higher burn-ups. Goals include
improving the fundamental understanding of nuclear fuel and cladding
behavior under extended burn-up conditions and developing a predictive
analysis tool for advanced nuclear fuel performance.
Advanced Light Water Reactor Fuel R&D will develop new long-life fuel •
machine interface capabilities, including advanced plant monitoring
capacity, centralized monitoring of nuclear status and performance,
and advanced condition monitoring and prognostics technologies to
understand and measure the aging of systems, structures, and components
of nuclear power plants.
Instrumentation and Controls R&D will develop new systems and human/ •
methods including uncertainty quantification to enhance industry’s ability
to accurately predict safety margins; address aging effects to understand
how safety margins change with aging plants; support power up-rates;
and combine risk-informed, performance-based methodologies with
fundamental scientific understanding of critical phenomenological
conditions and deterministic predictions of nuclear plant performance.
Safety Margin Characterization R&D will improve modeling and analysis •
power up-rates and capacity factor improvements, as well as reduce the
impact to reactor operations due to inadequate cooling water. Drought
conditions and competition with other users have created situations that are
of immediate concern.
With the 60-year licenses beginning to expire between the years 2029 and 2039,
utilities are likely to initiate planning baseload replacement power by 2014 or earlier.
The LWRS Program represents the timely collaborative research needed to retain the
existing nuclear power plant infrastructure in the United States.PLANNED PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
FY 2011
•
including the reactor pressure vessels and core internals (stainless steels
and high strength alloys), radiation-induced swelling effects, and phase
transformation of core internals.
Address high-fluence neutron irradiation effects on reactor metals •
Evaluate long-term aging of concrete structures. •
Investigate crack initiation in nickel-based alloys (steam generator tubing). •
techniques, post-irradiation annealing, and modern replacement alloys.
Examine advanced mitigation techniques such as welding and weld repair •
dynamics and compute safety margin, using case studies coordinated with
industry.
Develop the next-generation safety analysis code to simulate plant •
next-generation safety system analysis code in safety system analysis and
uncertainty quantification.
Develop a risk-informed, simulation-driven methodology to apply the •
application within the next-generation safety analysis code.
Develop models of passive structures, systems, and components for •
the near term to reactors impacted by insufficient cooling water supplies.
Investigate alternative and new cooling technologies that can be applied in •
facilitate power up-rates, and enable remote monitoring
and support.
Develop plant control and monitoring systems to improve plant efficiency, •
with sufficient understanding to develop a predictive model
for fission gas release.
Develop a model for fuel cracking at the mesoscale level •
advanced fuel and cladding materials.
Begin the development of new long-life fuel designs with FY 2012
•
corrosion cracking (IASCC), crack initiation in nickel-based
alloys, high-fluence effects on stainless steels, IASCC of alloy
X-750, reduction in toughness of reactor pressure vessel
steels, and swelling effects and phase transformations in
high-fluence core internals.
Investigate mechanisms of irradiation-assisted stress •
environments (radiation, high temperature, moisture) and
develop nondestructive examination techniques.
Assess degradation of concrete in unique reactor •
Mile Point 1 plant to obtain information on materials
that supports development of guidance on inspection of
containments and reactor internals.
Continue pilot projects at the R.E. Ginna plant and Nine •
analysis code, extending it from small-scale demonstration
of algorithmic features to plant-scale evaluations, focusing
on case studies coordinated with industry.L
Develop a strategy and methods, and execute cost-shared pilot projects
to demonstrate first-of-a-kind instrumentation and control technologies
to modernize existing nuclear power plant instrumentation and control
systems.
•
applicable to existing Light Water Reactors to enable early detection of
material degradation.
Develop centralized on-line monitoring and information integration systems •
and cladding materials.
Continue the development of new long-life fuel designs with advanced fuel •
with sufficient understanding to develop a predictive model for fission gas
release.
Continue development of a model for fuel cracking at the mesoscale level •
can be applied in the near term to reactors impacted by insufficient cooling
water supplies.
Continue investigation of alternative and new cooling technologies that •
removing large volumes of cooling water from naturally occurring sources.
Develop innovative technologies that lessen the environmental impacts of •
high temperature, moisture) and develop tools and methods to measure
degradation and predict failures.
Assess degradation of cables in unique reactor environments (radiation, •
than 20 percent.Identify technical gaps and limitations on extended power uprates greater Continue the development of the next generation safetyEfficiency Improvements R&D will address the potential for additional The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program is developing the
scientific basis to extend existing nuclear power plant operating life beyond
the current 60-year licensing period and ensure long-term reliability,
productivity, safety, and security. The program is conducted in collaboration with
national laboratories, universities, industry, and international partners. Idaho National
Laboratory serves as the Technical Integration Office and coordinates the Research
and Development (R&D) projects in the following pathways: Materials Aging and
Degradation Assessment, Advanced Light Water Reactor Fuel, Instrumentation and
Controls, Safety Margin Characterization, and Efficiency Improvements. Because
industry has a significant financial incentive to extend the life of
existing plants, the Department will work to ensure that activities are
cost-shared to the maximum extent possible.
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