Leading Russian nuclear scientists participated in the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Sustainable Clean Energy for the Future (FR22), which was dedicated to the fast-neutron reactor technology development. The conference was held on April 19 – 22 in Vienna, Austria in a hybrid format (both online and offline).
Representatives of Rosatom organizations presented their reports in online format. The primary site for broadcasting reports by the Russian specialists turned out to be the business centre of OKBM Afrikantov JSC, which is a part of Atomenergomash, Rosatom’s mechanical engineering division, in Nizhny Novgorod.
Vyacheslav Pershukov, head of the “Breakthrough” Project Area, special representative of Rosatom State Corporation on international and scientific-and-engineering projects, and representative of the FR-22 Organizing Committee for Russia, addressed the conference participants with a welcome speech, in particular noting that Rosatom plans to develop the two-component nuclear energy system based on fast reactors and WWER ones. “The start of emergence of the transition period for the two-component nuclear energy system based has enabled Rosatom to define the basic principles of a new technological platform being created on the basis of a closed nuclear fuel cycle (CNFC) with fast reactors. These principles include five crucial components: natural safety, unlimited resource base, addressing the nuclear waste issue, strengthening the non-proliferation regime and competitiveness” said Mr. Pershukov.
In his turn, Sergey Shepelev, chief structural designer of fast-neutron reactor plants of OKBM Afrikantov JSC pointed out that the integration of commercial fast reactors into the nuclear energy structure from 2030s was stipulated in the Nuclear Energy Development Strategy of the Russian Federation. Construction of the first-of-a-kind power unit equipped with BN-1200 is scheduled for the early 2030s.
As representatives of the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering, a part of Scientific Division of Rosatom State Corporation, explained, the Nuclear Energy Development Strategy till 2050 is based on fast and thermal reactors. The Institute of Physics and Power Engineering is the scientific supervisor of the project on implementation of the MBIR multi-purpose fast-neutron research reactor, which is required for development of the Russian two-component nuclear energy system with closed nuclear fuel cycle till 2050. This plant is very important for development of the global nuclear science, including such related fields as energy and nuclear medicine. “For us, the FR is a platform for promoting our understanding of the role fast reactors, technologies and solutions play in the global nuclear energy, and exchanging experience with other experts. As the head scientific organization for fast reactors, the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering is represented by a large number of reports at the conference. Here we show our achievements and confirm our leadership by offering a wide range of issues that can be addressed,” noted Dmitry Klinov, deputy scientific supervisor of promising topics of the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering.
A total of 70 reports by Russian participants were presented at the conference.
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Russia is a global leader in fast-neutron reactor technology development. The country has successfully operational high-power fast-neutron reactors, BN-600 and BN-800.
The Breakthrough Project being implemented by Rosatom State Corporation is aimed at achieving a new quality of nuclear energy, developing, creating and industrially implementing the closed nuclear fuel cycle (CNFC) based on fast-neutron reactors. The objective of activities within the scope of the Breakthrough Project Area is to create a nuclear energy complex that include NPP, nuclear fuel regeneration (processing) and re-fabrication industry, and preparation of RW of all types for final removal from the process cycle. Within the scope of the project Rosatom is constructing in a pilot-and-demonstration energy facility equipped with BREST-OD-300 lead-cooled fast-neutron reactor plant with an adjacent factory, which includes irradiated mixed uranium-and-plutonium (nitride) fuel processing module (PM) and fabrication/re-fabrication module (FRM) to produce starting fuel rods from the imported materials and, subsequently, fuel rods made of processed irradiated nuclear fuel, in Seversk, Tomsk Region.
The Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles is the main world forum on fast reactors, which is held every four years. The objective of the Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Sustainable Clean Energy for the Future (FR22) is to provide a platform for information exchange on the latest developments and practices, national and international programmes in the field of development of fast reactors and the relevant fuel production technologies and fuel cycles. The previous conference on fast reactors was held in 2017 in Yekaterinburg and was attended by almost 600 participants from 27 countries.
