JPRS ID: 10572 WORLDWIDE REPORT NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT AND PROLIFERATION

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• Content Type: REPORTS

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JPQS L/10572 ~
7 ~~une 1982
Worldw~de Re ort~
p
NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT ANn PROLIFERATION
CFaUO 6/82~
~ .FB1~ FORECGN ~ROADCAST INFORMATION SER~ICE
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JPRS L/10572
7 June 1982
WORLDW I DE REPORT
NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT AND PROLIFERATION
(FOUO 6/82)
~ CONTENTS
LATIPI A1~SICA
ARGENTINA
Castro Madero on Poseible Use of Nuclear Weapons
(DYN, 25 May 82) 1
EAST EUROPE
CZECHOSLOVARIA .
~ Fast Breeder Reactors~ Nuclear Power Diacussed
(Vaclav Stach; JADERNA ENERGIE~ No 1, 1982) 3
- a - [III - WW - 141 FOUO]
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~ ~
, ARGENTINA
_ ~
CASTRO MADERO ON POSSTBLE USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
PY251849 Buenos Aires DYN in Spanish 1554 ir., Spanieh 25 May 82
[Text] Buenos Aires, 25 May (DYN)--Vice Adm Carloa Castro Madero, chairman of
the Dlational Atomic Energy Commiesian [CNEA], stated today that the rumor that
Great Britain will use nuclear weapons in the conflict with Argentina is part
of British psychological warfare.
In remarks made on the program "Magdalena and the I~ews" on radio continental,
Castro Madero stated that he sent a note to *_he International Atomic Energy
Agency [IAEA] denouncing the possible preaPnce of "nuclear elements" on board
British ships in the South Atlantic.
"I hsve received a r~ply from the representatives of the member-states and of
the governor representing Great Britain in which they emphatically state that
it ~?ould be totally unthinkable for Great Briiain to use nuclear weapons
against Argentina," he added.
- Castro Madero stated: "There is a world commitment in this regard and if this
commitment is not honored, then I would say that we are oii the verge o.f World
War III, which I do not believe that the great powers wfll allow."
In answer to a question, thP CNEA chair_r!an confirmed that the Versailles Treaty,
aigned after World War I[as received], pr.�ohibite:d the use of chemical weapona
forever.
He added: "That this conflict--whi~h is limited to two countries--cannot
reach the point of using nuclear.weapons by the power that has them against
another country that does n~t have them."
Castro Madero added: "In my opinion, it would seem that authorization has
been given to resist an air attack, and this definitely gets my attention."
"It ger.s my attention because a nuclear weapon is not the moet appropriate for
attacks which are generally carried out unilaterally. It would really make
no sense," he added.
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In answer to another queation, he pointed out that "unless a total war co~.:s,
as happened during the late war, the typical atomic attack would be made with
small bombs of weak destructive power."
As for the danger of radiation, he stated that "the authorization to use those
weapons applies ir the fleet is seriously threatened, but I have the impression
that it refers to a massive attacic by the air force."
- "I feel that it is totally impracticable. In the case of the submarine, we,
the navy, were very concerned when the "General Belgrano" was sunk, and the
invest~gating committee carried out an analysis of the survivors and verified
that it was not a nuclear charge that sank the ship," Castro Madero concluded.
CSO: 5100/2174
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CZECHOSLOVAKIA
FAST BREEDER REACTORS, NLTCLEAR POWER DISCU6SED
Prague JADERNA ENERGIE in Czech No 1, 1982 pp 2-7
[Article by Vaclav Stach, Institute of Nuclear Research, Rez: "Fast ~rseder
Reactors and Nuclear Power Production"]
[Text] In connection with the startup of the Soviet BN-600
stgtion, which marks the beginning of comrnercial operation
= of fast breeder reactors~ this article presenta current
infoxlnation on the iaain characteristica of the sodium-cooled
~ fast breeder reactor as a power sourae. A brief description
of the state of development of these systema in the le~ding.
countries is given, and work done in the field by Czechoslovr~kia
is deacribed.
Introduction
Nuclear power atations are now operating in 23 countries, and tneir net
electrical output is 126 GW. An additional 234 powar unite wi.th a total
capacity of 213 GW are under constructi,pn ~1). Nuclear energy can directly
replace liquid and gaseous fuels for the production of electricity, and for
many countries which lack both high-quality fuels and coal it promiaes a
considerable lessening of dependence on ianport [2].
In thia century, moat nuclear power unita will be light water reactors (PWR .
[pressurized water reactors], WER [vater~coolad, water-moderated power
reactors], BWR [boiling water reactors]1, including graphite-water syatems
(LWGR [light water graphite-modera*_ad reactor], S~viet deaignation RBMit),
with a certain number of hea~r,~ water reactors (Candu or HWR). These reactor
types of reactors have better characteristics and capabilities than fossil-
f ired units of the same capacity. For example~ according to the most recent
annual report of Ed~' [French nuclear power office; expansion unknown], in
1979 the specif ic pow~r production cost in nuclear power stations with PWR
reactors (500 MWe) was ~.0868 francs/kWh, compared with 0.1286 franca/kWh in
coal-fired atationa and O.i536 france/kWh in oil-f ired stations [3].
In connection with the increasing ;.ale of nuclear power in the energy econo-
m~es of the developed countries, the questiona of long-term fuel availa-
- ~ bility for existing types uf nuclear power stationa and the limits on their
. ~
~ 3
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use resulting from the si.ze of natural reserves of nuclear fuel mater~.als
are coming to the f ore.
According to diacussions held by the 8th INFCE [International Nuclear Fuel
Cycle Evaluation] working group [4], the net integral consumption of natural
uranium by a 1,000-MWe g,enerating unit with a light water reactor over a
30-year period with 70 percent utilization of nominal power output and an

~ enrichment residue of 0.2 percent ia 2,730-4,220 tons, depending on the
fuel cycle (closed or oraen). Aence, used in this fashion, 1 ton of natural
uranium is the energy e~.~uivalent of 15 to 23 tons of standard fuel. According
to estimates by the joint NEA-OECD gnd MAAE working group made at the end of
1977 [5], as of 1 Janua~ry 1977 proven reserves of economically recoverable
uranium in the nonsocialist couatries amounted to 2,191 Mt [megatons] and
additiona~. assumed resexves to 2~096 Mt, for a total of 4,287 Mt. With
the equi~alence figure given above, the energy content of these reserves
ie equal to that of 64 to 49 b illion tons of standard fuel, which is less
than the 150 billion to~ns of standard fuel whtch reference 6, for example,
~ites for praven world petroleum reser~rea (in the nonsocialist countries).
Naturally, estimates of world uranium reserves are changing. Large areas
have not yet been explored in detail. According to reference 7, detailed
avaluations of reserves in the United States had been made by 1980, focuaing
primarily in medium-grade ores; we ~ay assume that they gave positive
results, in view of the recently published U.S. government regulations on
nuclear power production (involving a moratorium on the reprocessing of
spent fuel). A new re~ort of the ~oin~ NEA-MAAE working group at the end of
1979 [8] cites a figure f or proven reserves in the basic price cate~oxy 12
percent l:igher than that given in the preceding repoxt, as a result of new
finds in Brazil and Canada and reevaiuatian of reserves in the Central
' African Republic, Namibia, South Africa, Spain and the United States. But
even if resen�es prove to be aeveral titaes today's estimates, at current
rates of energy consumption the energy potential is dn the same order as
t'iiat of probable world l~etroleum reserves [6].
Thus uranium reserves are adequate for the immediate needs of nuclear power
developu~ent, but only their much more intensive use offers a long-term
solution. Since these reserves are unevenly distributed through the world,
the question of more intensive use is of varying importance in different
cauntries. But the basic trend is the same everywhere. The bulk of nuclear
engineering research and development in the industrially developed countries
involves breeder reactors.
Th^ Beginning of Commercial Operation of Fast Breeder Reactors
_ On ~ April 1980 a 600-MW generator unit with a fast breeder reactor went
into operation in the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Station imeni I. 7. Kurchatov.
The output of this unit, with the type designation EN-600, was smoothly
increased in succeeding months, until fn September it reached 80 percent of
rated output, which was the technical maximum for the so-called "startup
conf iguration" of the cure. Tl~is third unit of the Beloyarsk power station
has become a reliable generating unit in the Urals electrification eystem.
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The successful cperation of the BN-600 unit marks the beginning of commercial
operation of fast breeder reactors, which will ma.ke possible maximum
utilization of the energy potential of natural nuclear fuel aources and
will solve the basic fuel and energy problem for hundrede of years to come.
Construction of the BN-600 was an extremely important step forwarcl for
5oviet science and engineering marked out by the 25th CPSU Congress and
made more epecific by L. I. Brezhnev at the November 197~ session of the
CPSU Central Committee: "Our long-range plannir~g must provide for exten-
sive construction of nuclear power stations with fast-neutron reactora."
I9l
_ The BN-600 is the most powerful fast breeder reactor in the world. Follow-
ing its construction the Soviet Union is preparing to build aimilar units
with capacities of 800 and 1,600 MW; the detaile of this construction are
expected to be decided in the near future. Of the capitalist countries,
France is now reaching the cmmnercial etage with the construction of a
1,200 MW station with a fast breeder reactor in cooperatioil with Italy and
West Germany; startup is planned for 1983 [lOJ.
The current beginning of commercial operation of breeder reactors is a
logical result ~f world technical development to d~te, which can be broken
down into important periods each about a decade long.
_ The 1950's saw research on the physical principles of reactors and the con-
struction and operation of zero-power or low-power research reactors. The
1960's involved the development of the sodium technology and the construction
and operation of pilot reactora with heat outpute i.n the tens of inegawatta,
followed by extensive fuel development. In the 1970's demonstration stations
with electrical outputs of 250 to 350 MW were completed and put into opera-
tion. These were followed in the 1980's by commercial units, opening the
way to series conatruction in the next decade.
The construction of commercial breeder reactors in various countxies is
affected by other factors in addition to the aspecta of world development
described above. These involve primarily the degree of planned management
of nuclear power development, the size of the role to be asaigned to nuclear
power in these countries in relation to accesaible uranium reserves, and in
some cases an iniCial delay in the breeder programs. As a reault of these
factors, the United Kingdom has put off for several years the beginning of
construction of the CDFR (Commercial Demonstratifln Fast Reactor) with an
electrical output of 1,250 MW; it ie not clear whether the United States
- will build its demonstration station; and atations in West Germany and Japan
are to be finished in 1985 and 1987 xespectively (the Si~R, with a capacity
of 300 MWe and the Monju station with a capacity of 250 MWe) [1].
Characteristics of Fast Breeder Reactors
The fundamental and well-kr.,oz~m characteristic of breeder reactors is the
fact th~t they reproduce nuclear f uel, which is of fundamental importance
for the use of natural nuclear fuel sources for power production. With the
limited nuclear fuel conversion capabilities offered by thermal reactors,
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the theare~ical lin?it of their fuel base is 1 to 2 percent of available
urar:'um reserves. With the reproduction of fuel in breeder reactors there
is no such tneoretica 1 limit, and the full amount is usable.
In practice this means that breeder reactors can obtain 60 to 70 times more
energy from a given quantity of uranium than thermal reactors can. Thus
breeder reactors allow more intens~ve development of nuclear power produc-
tion without significantly increasing the need for extraction of nuclear
fuel materials, with the consequences that attend every extractive activity.
This adds to the eff ective usable reserves of these materials ores of much
lower grade. According to reference 5, attention has recently been turned
to deposits with average uranium contents of 0.01 to 0.1 percent, which
wi11 expand known reserves. A uranium concentration of 0.01 percent means
extraction of 10 tons of ore per kilogram of uranium, so that terms of the
- energy equivalent of uranium in light water reactora given above 1 ton of
ore is equivalent to 1.5 to 2.3 tons of atandard fuel. With such an
equivalence figure, nuclear fuel loses its character as a concentrated
natural energy source. The economic consequences for its price, including
further complex procesaing, are considerable. But this aituation disappears
if we m,ultiply the energy equivalent by 60 to 7U, as is the case with
breeder. reactors.
Another important source of en.ergy for fast breeder reactors is impover-
ished uranium, which is a waste product from the enrichment of uranium for
thermal reactors. The production of 1 kg of uranium at 3 percent enrichment,
which is the value used in pressurized water reactors, produces a waste of
4.5 to 5.5 kg of impoverished uranium (residue from the enrichment process).
This material is useless for thermal reactors, but if it is used as a fuel
for breeder reactors, according to reference 10 a ton of the impoverished
uranium is equivalent to 1 Mt of standard fuel. On the basis of the pro-
jected fuel regime f or VVER reactors we may estimated that 30 years' opera-
tion of a set of power stations with reactors of this type having a total
capacity of 10 GW will produce 35 kt of impoverished uranium. Thia quantity,
used in fast breeder reactors, is the energy equivalent of 35 Gt of standard
fuel, or 350 times the current primary consumption in Czechoslovakia (100
Mt of standard fuel per year). According to referenc~e 15, the 20 kt of
impoverished uran�lum already accumulated in Great Britain would, if used in
fast breeder reactors, be equivalent to 40 Gt of coal, which is 400 yeare'
output at current rates in the UK.
Thus there is a practically unlimited supply oi' fuel for nuclear power
production with breeder reactors. Accordin gly their importance in the
history of power production is so revolutionary that it generally makes
people think that thie stage is extremely far off and not currently prac-
ticable. But with the current advent of commercial breeder reactors it is
possible to evaluate their other positive basic characteristics, which do
not call forth such ideas.
First, they are capab le of competing economically with other typea of power
stations. This is of course assumed by their investors. Data on unit
investment expenditures have already been supgorted by experience with the
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construction of units on a commercial scale, while data on fuel expendi-
tures are supported by experience with semi-full acale operation. Even
though extrapolating from these prototypes to thc characteristics of a
series-conatructed station is a considerable step, the degree of uncertainty
has been narrowed. According to reference il, the specific operating
exgenditures of the Phenix demonstration plant (operation and fuel) are
now consid~rably lower than the price per ~.ilo~vatt-hour at fossil-fired
stations. Investment costs for tl~e first Superphenix station are high
- (5.35 billion francs without fuel), but the cost per kilowatt-hour of
the stati.on will probably be very close to that for conventional pow~r
stations meeting modern air purity standards. With subsequent commercial
stations the price per kilowatt-hour is likely to be competitive with light
water statione in France. More precise data in terms of 1979 prices are
_ given by referenc~ 15. According to thia reference, the investment expendi-
ture on the Superphenix station is 7,900 francs/kW, compared with 3,445
francs/kW for a PWR with a unit output of 1,300 MWe. It is expected that
this cost will decrease by about one-fourth in subsequent 1,500-MWe units.
The production cost for the Superphenix stationa ie expected to be 0.24
francs/kWh, while that for subsequent breeder units is expected to be 0.16
francs/kWh, compared with 0.2 francs/kWh for coal-fired atations and 0.12
francs/kWh for PWR's (the latter two data obviously come from oth~r dources
than reference 3).
Nuclear power stations with sodium-cooled breeder reactors, particularly
with an integrated primary circuit, hav~ a number of inherent qualities
which make for ~afe operation with minimal undesirable effects on the sur-
roundings. Z'hey include:
- --a practically pressure-free primary circuit in which a sudden disruption
of integrity of any size is extremely improbable, and even if it did occur.
could be dealt with decisively and without difficulty by built-in protective
veasels;
- --a considerable margin between the nominal sodium output temperature and
the boiling temperature of sodium, which may be considered the point at
which the integrity of the fuel element surface, as the priraary barrier to
f ission praducts, is threatened;
--enclosure of the primary-circuit sodium in a single vessel of simple
shape: if the integrity of this veasel is breached the protective vessel
assures reactor safety~and removal of excess heat by normal means;
--the possibility of cooling the core for reactor shutdown by natural con-
vection, with sufficient thermal capacity that the operator has time, in
case of a breakdown of the main heat removal and automatic control systems,
to put backup system into operation.
--reactor dynamic characteristics which cause "slow" station behavior, as
_ conf irmed by all operators of demonstration pro'totypes, which makea control
easier, and in the hypothetical case of a breakdawn in the automatic
systems allowa deliberate manual control intervention and the like; the
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tenn "walk-away safety" is used figuratively to indicate that if the operator
left the plant it would remain in a safe atate.
In order for permission for their canstruction and operation to be granted,
the stations had to meet safety criteria and requirements gimilar to those
currently applying to theraial reactora; they are universally recognized as
being at least as safe as the latter. As regards the radiation situation
in the facility and the surroundings, the meaeured radioactivity and exposure
values are far below the values prescribed by standards. The radiation
load on the surroundings will be smaller than that for current thermal
reactors. Reference 15 gives the following ranking in terms of radioactive
emissions [in ascending order]: oil-fired power stations, fast breeder
reactors, pressurized water reactors, coal-fired stationc:. The Superphenix
station is 45 kilometers from Lyon, with a population in the millions. The
thermal load on the surroundings is considerably lower as a result of the
units' much higher thermal eff iciency: for the same electrical pow~r, the
quantity of heat liberated to the surroundings is a quarter to a third leas.
Reprocessing of Irradiated Fuel
The use of breeder reactors involves the reprocessing of irradiated nuclear
fuel. Effective breeder characteristics are obtained with a uranium-
plutonium fuel cycle based on a plutonium charge and an external cycle. In
the future the production of these charges will be the objective, or rather
the result, of the operation of a set of auch reactors, which will constitute
a self-developing system whose dynamica are characterized by the "doubling
time." During the beginning of co~ercial operation of breeder reactors
(and for a rather long time) the source of plutonium will be spent fuel from .
thermal reactors, as a result of both the large group of already-completed
thermal reactors and the breeders' great plutonium-generating capability.
The requirements regarding reactor fuel cycle characteristics based on
minimizing the doubling ~ime are currently meaningless; the reprocessing of
irradiated fuel from breeder reactors will be rather similar to the reproc-
essing of fuel from thermal reactors.
But the necessity of reprocessing irradiated nuclear fuel does not apply
only to the use of fast breeder reactors: it is also a precondition of all
other possibilities for fundamentally increasing the energy utilization of
natural nuclear fuel reserves in a power production. The known facts in
this area (see e.g. reference 12) have recently been reviewed as part of
INFCE activities organized with the cooperation with MAAE. The conclusions
of INFCE working group No 8, whose task was both to examine the question of
how to make the best use of uranium in current thermal reactors and to
evaluate the thorium cycle, were that "Realistically, the poasible sa~ving
of uranium in the open fuel cycle is not particularly large and is only a
fraction of the saving possible in the closed fuel cycle. Nor would a
- changeo'ver to the thorium cycle produce a fundamental improvement in the
~pen cycle. A radical decrease in uranium conscmption can be achieved
only by means of the closed fuel cycle" [4].
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Logical Aspects of Nuclear Power Production with Fast Breed2r Reactors
Nuclear power production withfast breeder reactors ie based on the a~undant
reserves of energy contained in the nonfisaile (fertile) isotopes 23 U and
Z32Th in locations whose exploitation to supply thermal reactors would
probably not be considered, but w~ich would be extracted for use in
breeders, and in materials which are already associated with, ar~d already,
of course, "consumed" in, the "thermal" atage of nuclear power production.
With a ton of nonfissile isotope being equivalent to a million tons of
standard fuel, these reservea are ine~chauatible from the viewpoint of cur-
rent power production.
Some years ago, A. Weinberg gave a succinct description of the use of these
isotopes in fast breeder reac.tors as catalytic cambustion, with the plutonium
charge functioning as catalyst. With a breeding ratio considerably greater
than unity a~ excess of catalyst (plutanium) is created, ma.king it possible
to expand the process. Depending on specific conditions, it is also possible
to extract plutonium from the process and use it in another area.
Fram this f ollows the dual function of breeder reactors for the "thermal"
stage of nuclear power producti~n. The firs~t aspect is conservation of
natural fuel reserves. To the extent that we replace thermal reactors with
breeder reactors, we prolong the lifetime of the former. The second function
is that of replenishing the stock of f issile materials, or, in the figurative
terms just mentioned, of replenishing the catalyst which is consumed in
combustion of nonfissile isotopes in thermal reactors.
~ In the cambination, or rather in the effecti~;ely managed symbiosis, of
breeder and thermal reactors we may f ind a solution to the problem of
! nuclear power's increasing role in meeting Che needs of society.
1 Breeder Programs in the Leading Countries
Even at the beginning of nuclear power, the Soviet Union devoted special
attention to fast breeder reactors because of their promising capabilities,
and thus far the Soviet breeder reactor program has set the pace worldwide.
The BN-350 demonstration plant in Shevchenko began producing power a year
before the French Phenix and 4 years before the British PFR [1], and it has
the highest output of these first protot~~pes. It was supplanted in firat
place as regards output by the BN-600 unit, the starting point for com-
mercial construction. L. I. Brezhnev's report to the 26th CPSU Congress
mapped out the task of. "faster development of nuclear power, including
breeder reactors," [16] and the Document "Guidelines for the Economic and
Social Development of the Soviet Union" adopted by the 26th CPSU Congress
' sets the task of "developing new designs for 800- to 1,600-MW power units
using fast breeder reactors" [17].
In France the commercial reactor program stems from the Superphenix station,
which is in the final stage of construction and ia to go into operation in
1983. Construction of two units of the Superphenix II type, with an
~ electrical output of 1,600 MW, is to be begun at approximately the same
time; these are to be completed in 1988 and 1989, so that by 1990 France
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.
will have an installed fast breeder reactor station capacity of 4,400 MW.
In the next decade construction is likely to continue at a fairly rapid
pace; according to current forecasts, at least an additiona.l 12,000 MW of
capacity is to be put into operation between 1990 and 2000, so that by the
year 200U breeder reactors will account for 20 percent of installed nuclear
capacity; as early as 1991-1995 new construction of stations using PWR
reactors is expected to decrease.
The investor for the Superphenix stations is the joint economic consortium
NERSA, of which th~ I~'rench EdF has a 51-percent share, the Italian ENEA
[expansion unlrnown] a 33-percent share and the West German-Belgian-Dutch-
British SBK (Schneller Brueter Kernkraftgesellschaft [Fast Breeder Company])
- consortium a 16-percent share [10]. The Italian share is represented by a
suitable volume of equipment deliveries (including reactor parts); the
participation of all the non-French organizations is motivated by access
to technology and information.
The mirror image arran gement, i.e. 51 percent SBK, 33 percent ENEL and 16
percent EdF, is proposed for construction of the West German SNR-2 commer-
_ cial prototype, which will be based on technology developed in the De-benelux
program (West Germany, Belgium, Holland) and tested in the NSR-300 demon-
stration station. This program is lagging behind the French program because
of a later beginning and slower pace; the NSR-300 station in Kalkar, West
Germany is in the initial stage of construction and is expected to go into
operation in 1985. The design for the SNR-2 prototype is currently being
refined and the prospects for further construction are not yet fixed. The
technical delay in the De-benelux program is expected to be compensated by
cooperation with the United States and particularly by participation of
the UK, the country with the longest breeder program in Western Europe.
The British program suff ers from slippage in the construction of the PFR
demonstration station, which was put into operation only in 1977. In
addition the design prepared for the CFR commercial prototype (now the
CDFR) underwent a number of modifications and no decision has yet been
made on the beginning of construction. The main reason is an overall '
dampening of the conception of nuclear power's role in the UK, which in ~'he
last decade has dropped from the world's largest producer of electricity
from nuc:lear power to sixth place.
A late beginning ha~ also affected the situation in Japan, where the breeder
program is now proceeding rapidly. The constructon of the Monju demonstration
plant is to begin next year, with completion in 1987.
The breeder program in the United States has taken its own course. After
- the failure with the Enrico Fermi station, whose construction was begun in
1956, at the same time a~ the first light water prototypes (Dresden-1,
Indian Point-1) and which broke down in 1�66 before being brought up to
nominal power, the U.S. progiam has remained in the research and develop-
ment stage. The total expenditure is already many billions of dollars
($500 million was allocated for 1980), and it is considered to be the
largest technical development program in any country's history [13].
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This position does not seem particularly stable, and fundamental changes in
the near future are not ruled out. The main argument for the decisions taken
in the past has been world uranium resources, which will suffice to supply
expected development of nuclear power through the year 2000 based on light
Watier reactors with an open fuel cycle. The arguments against it focus on
technical obsolescence and loss of technical and commercial position on
foreign markets. There have been reports of preparations for licensing
negotiations between the leading U.S. reactor producers and the French.
The Situation in Czechoalovakia
Czechoslovakia is part of CEMA's ~oint program of breeder reactor develop-
ment, which is one of the CEMA countries' long-term special cooperative
programs in the energy f ield. The leading country and the one which has
dealt with most of the problems of the ~oint program is the Soviet Union.
Czechoslovakia is involved in thia work in the areas for which we are well
suited and which currently represent the interests of our technical develo~-
ment in accordance with the state technical development plan. The objective
is to make the most effective contribution to the joint program while
creating the technical preconditions for building breeder reactors in
Czechoslovakia with the technical assistance of the Soviet Union, and for the
production of certain equipmPnt �or these stations in Czechoslovak plants.
This is leading to an extremely important, innovative stage in the develop-
ment of the Czechoslovak nuclear power industry and the development program
for nuclear machine-building. The work in these areas is coordinated on a
nationwide basis and is focusing on the sodium type of breeder reactor.
- The most progress wi.th breeder r.eactor station equipment has been made in
_ the development of steam generators, which are designed by the Research
Institute of Power Production Machinery Plants in Brno in production coopera-
tion with Prvni brnenska stro~ irna [Brno No 1 Machine Works.] National
Enterprise. Using design and process principles which were mastered in the
design of C02-water steam generators for the A-1 station, the concept of a
modular sodium-water steam generator with special design of the modules
was developed. After a series of successful tests of the components in a
sodium test facility at the Research Institute of Nuclear Reactors in
Demitrovgrad, USSR, this concept was implemented in a 30-MW steam genera=
tor (PG BOR) which was installed in 1973 at the BOR-60 experimental
breeder reactor station in Dimitrovgrad. This was followed by development
work on a 200-MW steam generator for the BN-350 station, which, together
with successful operating tests of the PG BOR, led to commercial delivery
- of the steam generator with the type de~ignation Nada [Russian "Nadya"J
for the Soviet BN-350 breeder demonstration plant in Shevchanko. The Nada
steam generator was produced in 1977 and put into permanent operation in the
power station in 1980. In addition, another unit of the same type was
produced and delivered to the Soviet Union, while pre-contract arrangements
_ for an additional three units of the type are being made, so that in about
- 1y85 the entire BN-350 station will be equipped wfth steam generators
designed and produced in Czechoslovakia. Thus Czechoslovakia has joined the
small number of leading countries which produce breeder reactor power
station equipment and is the f irst country in the world to carry out foreign
commercial deliveries of such components.
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The PG BOR was operated successfully at the Dimitrovgrad stat~.on until this
year, running at power for a total of 35,000 hours. It demonstrated the
merit of the concept not only by its reliable operation in stationary and
transient operating states but also by its behavior in regard to a single
weld defect which was found during operation, and particularly in a so-called
"major emergency experiment" conducted with it. Because of its design, which
- used a double tube pl.ate, the loss of tightness of a welded joint betw~een
a tube and tube plate on the waCer side, which was discovered after several
years' operation, did not lead to a reaction between water and sodium. It
was found by the operating detection system, and the generator was repaired
in 5 days. In the major emergency experiment, 7 kg of steam was intro~uced
into the liquid sodium in one branch of the steam generator to simulate a
ma.jor loss of tightness. This did not cause a breach of the steam generator,
and accordingly after disassembly of the branch in which the emergency had
intentionally been produced and diagnostic testing of the equipment, the
steam generator was returned to operation.
At the end of this year [1981] the PG BOR was disassembled to make way for
the experimental PG BOR II. This unit incorporates the new concept of
"reverse design" (sodium in the tubes and water or steam in the space
between them), which is an appioach used nowhere else in the world and
expands the variety of steam generato-rs developed in Czechos3.ovakia.
- The equipping of the BN-350 station ~,Tith the Nada steam generator, the
successful long-term operation of the PG BOR, followed by the experimental
_ PG BOR II, and the c'evelcoment of ~team generators for additional power
generating stages of fast breeder stations which is now under way, consti-
tute an important technical basis for future production cooperation by the
Czechoslovak nuclear machine building industry in the "bre~~der" stage of
nuclear power production in the socialist community.
Sigma's Research Institute, in cooperation with the Sigma Modrany National
Enterprise, developed bellows-type valves for sodium which had nominal inner
diameters from 50 to 150 mm. The prototypes of this series were produced in
1974 to 1975 and underwent detailed tests in Soviet test installations in
1975 to 1976. Design directives and technical specificat~ons for groduction
were issued on the basis of these tests, and in 1979 to 1980 the production
of a test series of these valves with optimized design was organized for
long-term tests in the Soviet Union. Some prototypes were also installed
in test facilities in Czechoslovakia and East Germany to gain further infor-
mation from long-term operation.
The successful development of the small valves was followed by work on
special fast-acting 350-mm diameter sodium fittings designed in accordance
with the original sectional concept (instead of the full cross section,
~ four sectors are opened or closed), thus giving the required operating
speed. The design and technica~ development led to the production of two
prototypes in 1977, of which one passed demanding tests at a sodium test
- facility in Slovakia (500 open-close cycles, 5 thermal shock tests) without
any effect on its tightness and ability to function; its long-term testing
is conti.nuing. The other prototy~e was sub3ected to tensometric me~surements
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and hydraulic tests at the Sigma Lutin National Enterprise. On the basis of
the tests, experience with production of prototypes, and research work, an
optimized design of the 350 mm f itting was developed. The prototype
RCA-350 was awarded a gold medal at an international mechanical engineering
exhibition in Brno in 1977.
Bellows-type sodium valves and the RCA-350 will be part of the set of
fittings in higher-power breeder reactors for power production; the design
of other special components of this syatem is under way. In addition,
successful development work has now created the technical preconditions for
extensi�ve future production cooperation in this area.
In cooperation with the Research Inatitute of Ferrous Metallurgy and a number
of other research and production organizations, a design material ha.s been
develop~:d for the components described. Austenitic eteels were checked for
the reqLired properties under operating conditions in or.der to evaluate the
metallurgical processes used to produce them. A ferritic low-chromium
steel stabilized with niobium has been developed for the heat exchange
tubing of steam generators and the Vitkovice o.p. [se~torial enterpriae]
has mastered its production. Proceas development conducted under operating
conditions has made it possible to replace import of design materials (which
wa~~ never undertaken) for the secand PG BOR II by dumestic production orga~-
ized as a scientific and technfcal development pro~ect. In spite of
inherent shortcomings and complicatioas, this material wa3 made available
and the production of the PG BOR II was carried out under these conditions.
This was a valuable large-scale technological experiment, with the task of
- developing construction materials; it yielded laqowledge for the formulation
of guidance technologies for steel and pipe production.
The participation of Czechoslovak organizations in the CEMA joint program
for development of breeder reactors for power production, which is led by
the USSR, allows us to participate to a certain extent in the solution of
key problems in these systems and thus to create the scientific and technical
basis for their domestic application. The development of inethods and
programs for designing physical and physico-technical characteristi::s of the
reactors, the making of energy calculations for the reactor, determining the
hydrodynamics and heat engineering characteristics ot the fuel systems with
regard to reactor safety, and conducting theoretical and experimental inves-
tigation of shielding [stineni] involved cooperation and mutual division of
labor between the Institute of Nuclear Research and ZES Skoda Power
Production Equipment Plants]. Problems of technical and radiation safety
were allocated between EGU [expansion unknown] and the Institute of Nuclear
- Research. Thermomechanical and strength problems of steam generators
were solved by SVUSS [State Research Institute for Machinery Construction].
A workable basis for these activities is the application of research
results in Soviet prototype equipment, which makes it possible to compare
computed and laboratory results with the characteristics of the finished
component, and with data obtained from critical systems during physical and
power-production startup or operation of reactors. This has allowed
Czechoslovak organizations to keep pace with the worldwide development of
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knowledge in regard to certain key breeder reactor problems. The technique
of using ~oint deaign collectives, with division of labor, ~oint use of
experimental equipment, exchange of computer programs and data, and the
processing of results as joint technical reports and recommendations for
cttmputationa, plans and design work, has'~ustified itself in international
cooperation.
Conclusion
As the role of nuclear power in the energy economies of the developed coun-
tries increases, the question of providing a long-term fuel supply for
nuclear power stations of existing types, against a background of limited
natural reserves of nuclear fuel materials, is coming to the fore. Only
much more intensive uae of nuclear fuels can provide a long-terna solution
to this problem. The importance of this solution differs in different
countries, but the basic tendency is the same everywhere. In all of the
developed count.ries, the bulk of research and development work in nuclear
, engineering is devoted to breeder reactora.
Successful startup of the BN-600, the third unit at the Beloyarsk power
station, marks the beginning of commercial operation of breeder reactors,
whlch, according to long-term p?ans, will be built an a large scale in the
Soviet Union. France is now entering the commercial stage with the con-
struction of the Superphenix station and a predicted more rapid pace of
furthe~~ construction. The situation in order countrie~ is affected by
additional �actore, particularly inadequate planned management of the
development of nuclear power, uncertainty about the size of the role to
be allocated to nuclear power in the various countries in connection with
available uranium reserves, and finally, in some cases, by initial delays
in the breeder program. Accordingly, plans f.,or commercial construction af
nuclear power stations with breeder teactors have not yet been finalized
in these countries.
The energy contained in the nonf issionable isotopes 238U and 232Th, which
are in deposits whose use for supplying thermal nuclear reactors would
probably not be considered, but which will be extracted for breeder reactor
use, and in materials which have already been involved, and, of course,
"consumed" in the "thermal" stage of nuciear power, represents a literally
inexhaustible source of energy when used in fast breeder reactors. The
results of long-term operation of three demonstration plants and experience
with the construction of the first c~uunercial designs proved the addi-
- tional important positi~e capabilities of sodium=type breeder reactors; these
are, in particular, safety and minimal undesirable effects on the environ-
ment. In a number of respects these reactors have shown better character-
istics than light water reactors, as well as economic characteristica which
make it possible to expect economically acceptable production costs even at
current fL~l prices, and an even better situation when expected increases
- in the price of uranium occur.
The involvement of Czechoslovakia in CEMA's multinational program, led bq
the Soviet Union, allows us to keep pace with worldwide state of the art in
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research and development and to prepare for the breeder reactor atage in the
power and machine building industries.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. "Prehled ~adernych elektraren v svete (stav k 1.7.1980) [Survey of
- Worldwide Nuclear Power Stationa (as of 1 July 1980)], CSKAE/
Czechoslovak Atomic Energy Commission/-UISJP [expansion unknown].
Prague-Zbraslav, September 1980.
2. Eklund. S. "Renewed Conf idence in Nuclear Power," IAEA BULLETIN Vol 19,
No 3, 1977, pp 2-13.
3. "Operating Coat Comparison for EdF," ATOTrlWIRTSCHAFT-ATOMTECHIdIK Vol 25,
- No 6, 1980 pp 282. ~
4. Roth-Seefrid, H.,and Filsa, P. "Uranium Consumption by Thermal
Reactor System~," ATOMWIRTSCHAFT-ATOMTECHI~TIK, Vol 25, No 3, 1980
pp 143-147.
5. "Uranium Supply and Demand," IAEA BULLETIN. Vol 20, No 1, 1978,
pp 24-?4.
6. Giraud, A.; Pecqueur, M.; and Ferrari, A. "The Nuclear Fuel Cycle:
Dark Spots and Bi~ight Spota," NOTES D'INFORMA'PION CEA, No 5, May 1977.
7. Report of the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor Frogram Review Group,"
ERDA-1, U.S. ERDA, Washington, January 1975.
8. ~"Supplying the World with Ur~nium," ATOMWIRTSCHAFT-ATOMTECHNIK, Vol
25, 210 11, 1980, pp 538-585.
9. RUDE PRAVO, 29 November 1979.
10. "The Creys-Malville Fast Reactor Station," BULL D'INF SCI ET TECH
CEA 27, Jan-Feb 1978.
11. Roset~hold, M.; Megy, Y.; and Robert, E. "Breeder Reactors: Current
Situation an~i Prospecta~" Nuclex, 1978.
12. Stach, V. "Second-Generation Nuclear Reactors," UJV 4313T, Rez,
November 1978.
13. ATOMWIRTSCHAFT-ATOMTECHNIK, Vol 24, No 7, 1979, p 347.
14. International Working Group on Fast Reactors. "Twelfth Annual
Meeting Summary Report," Part 3, IWGFR/30/3, IAEA, March 1979.
15. Rippon, S. "Fast Reactors in the Fublic Eye," ATOM, 281, 1980
pp 60-62.
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16. "The 26th CPSU Congress," Svoboda~ Prague, 1981, p 40.
17. "Guidelines for Economic and Social Development of the USSR for
1981-1985 and for the Period Througln 1990," Supplement to HOSPODARSKE
NOVINY 11, 1981, p 12.
COPYRIGHT: SNTL, n.p. Prague 19$2
8480
CSO: 5100/3014 END
~
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