Education Jan Björklund are signing up to the idea of a new Swedish research reactor. A two old proposals from the research community are being investigated by the Swedish Research Council. There is a new chance for the Swedish-developed lead-cooled reactor Electra.
It has brought new life in discussions about building a Swedish research reactor. Already in 2012 sent the principals at KTH, Chalmers and Uppsala University submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Education to study the issue. Since then it has been sitting in the waiting room.
First, in May this year sent the question on referral to the Council, which shall come with an answer October 1st, according to Dagens Industri.
lf Research Council says yes, I think we should move on, says Jan Björklund to newspaper .
The purpose of the reactor is not generating energy. This proposal is a pure research facility in the fuel recovery and new reactor types, the so-called fourth-generation nuclear energy systems.
The core of the Research Council is now investigating a Swedish designed reactor named Electra, European Lead Cooled Reactor Training.
The self-circulating coolant is lead, which makes the reactor very safe for including fuel damage. It may be the first in the world that is cooled with lead without additives.
Fuel is a new composition, which includes plutonium. The reactor itself is very small. The entire building can be over 1000 square feet.
Origin of Electra concept is Genius Project, a collaboration between KTH, Chalmers and Uppsala University in technologies for lead-cooled reactors. It started in 2009 – and it was funded by the Swedish Research Council.
Janne Wallenius, professor of Reactor Physics at KTH, is one of the driving forces behind Electra.
ANSWER chances of getting through this in Sweden, I have no idea, he says, noting that, among other things, the Centre Party is said to be doubtful about the proposal.
reactor would be operational at the earliest, 2023 But it assumes that the project is able to follow a tight schedule for design , design, construction and manufacture of fuel.
Universities inquiry concerns not only the economic conditions. They also call for an investigation of the scientific value of such a research facility. Many Swedish scientists and institutions involved, but in the application are also several examples of foreign interests up.
Swedish scientists for its part, already involved in international work around generation 4 reactors. At France’s sodium-cooled ASTRID has Swedish group analyzed accidents and core diagnostics. In Belgium developed the lead-vismutkylda Myrrha, where Swedish researchers have investigated the safety aspects of cooling and fuel.
Perhaps the biggest question for the generation of four projects that Electra’s fuel efficiency. Future reactors could squeeze out 100 times more from the fuel than today, with a corresponding reduction of the storage period. They also have the opportunity to be that much safer than today’s reactors.
The proposed location for the Electra is Oskarshamn. For the reactor itself would a fuel management built where you can recycle and produce the experimental nuclear reactor which would need. 70 kilograms of plutonium to Electra requires 7 tons of spent fuel from Swedish LWRs treated, a process that could take two years.
“The facility could be operational within a decade, and then become a unique research and training center for the development of fourth-generation nuclear power systems, “writes the principals in his letter to the Ministry of Education.
In the application, the cost is estimated at 1.5 billion. This includes new laboratories and experimental workshops at universities and even an electric full-scale model of the reactor, located at KTH.
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