Mechanical Technology July 2016

⎪ Nota bene ⎪

The HTMR100: a safe, thorium-based nuclear reactor

A South African company is design- ing a safe helium-cooled nuclear reactor that will use a locally designed pebble-based thorium/uranium fuel, replacing uranium as the primary fuel. This reactor design offers a safer en- vironment without meltdown risks such as those experienced at the Fukushima reactor in Japan. “The fuel pebbles will be based on thorium, using uranium as the fissile driv- er material. The by-products produced by thorium are safer than those produced by a uranium-based nuclear reactor, making it safer and extremely difficult to make a nuclear weapon,” says Trevor Blench, chairman of Steenkampskraal Thorium Limited (STL). The thorium will be mined in South Africa at the Group’s Steenkampskraal (SKK) mine in the Western Cape. “The reactor is gas cooled and will not need to be located near the sea or a river. It can be built exactly where the energy is needed and requires significantly less water for cooling. The cost of the reactor will also be significantly less than build-

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ing a large uranium reactor,” says Blench. He explains that there are two types of gas reactors, carbon dioxide and helium. Carbon dioxide is the older technology and it has now been surpassed by heli- um. “Helium is an inert gas, cannot burn, and is therefore safe. Carbon dioxide is used in older nuclear reactors and can present health and safety risks, includ- ing fire and harmful emissions. Helium exhibits none of these risks,” he says. STL’s reactor, known as the HTMR100 (High Temperature Modular Reactor) uses a once-through fuel-cycle process, meaning that the fuel passes through the reactor only once and slower than a normal high-temperature pebble-bed reactor. “The combination of these factors make the design of the pebble-fuelled nuclear reactor a world first,” says Blench. “No other nuclear reactor offers a combination of these features, which contribute to safety, efficiency, reduced cost and a reduction in the risk of nuclear proliferation.” In addition to the local development of the pebble-based thorium fuel for its new reactor, STL is also involved in the testing of a pellet-based thorium/ura- nium fuel for existing uranium nuclear power stations. This is being done in co-operation with its associate company Thor Energy in Norway. Tests are being conducted at the Norwegian government-owned Halden reactor. There are potentially over 350 nuclear power stations around the world that could use this fuel composition Thor Energy has completed three years of a five-year test qualification period for the world’s first commercial thorium/uranium pellet fuel for light water reactors (LWRs). “This will revolutionise the nuclear industry by improving safety,” says Blench. The pellet fuel could be used in most light-water reactors around the world as a safe alternative to uranium-only fuels and no modifications are needed to existing nuclear reactors. “Overall, our strategy covers design- ing a safe nuclear reactor; designing a thorium/uranium pebble fuel for this new reactor; and testing a safe thorium/ uranium pellet fuel for existing reactors.” Steenkampskraal Thorium Limited (STL) is a South African company set up

STL’s HTMR100 thorium-fuelled, pebble-based modular reactor, which uses a once-through fuel-cycle process, is helium-cooled and ideal for process heat applications.

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Mechanical Technology — July 2016