The Bank - symbio-newsreport.jpn.orgsymbio-newsreport.jpn.org/files/upload/report/presentation_1353764384.pdfGeneration IV International Forum 15th MSR Prov. SSC Meeting Hotel Der

The Bank レアアース生産と原子力の導入を支援する

”トリウム銀行”

亀井敬史（応用科学研究所） [email protected]

平成２４年度第２回シンビオ研究談話会, 京都大学百周年時計台記念館, ２０１２年１１月１６日

Japan

Population Growth

Economical Growth

CO2 Emission from Fossil Fuel

Consumption of Resource

―How to make a sustainable world economy

―How can Japan live in the stream

Clear and Present Danger

World Without Nuclear Weapon


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http://www.daj.ne.jp/detail_srch.php?itemid=da044018&itemkbn=P

http://www.daj.ne.jp/detail_srch.php?itemid=bx-bxp155942&itemkbn=P

http://www.daj.ne.jp/detail_srch.php?itemid=cr-15377-11LM&itemkbn=P

(World Energy Outlook 2009, IEA)

Common understanding: World CO2 emission

10.9 Gt, 37%

1.1 Gt, 4%

1.4 Gt, 5%5.7 Gt, 20%

6.6 Gt, 23%

3.2 Gt, 11%

Main activity producer

electricity and heat

Unallocated

autoproducers

Other energy

industries

Manufacturing industries

and construction

Transport

Other sectors

ICI2011, Daejeon, Korea during August 21-25, 2011

We need sustainable energy

• Nuclear power does not emit CO2.

• It supplies huge and stable energy.

• However concerns remains, long-lived

radioactive waste, nuclear proliferation

and safety.

ThEC12, Oct 29 – Nov 1, 2012, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China © Takashi Kamei, 2012

Coolant is Molten-Salt

↓

BT is 1430 C degree

↓

Operation at 700 C degree

↓

Just 0.5MPa

Freeze valve

(No need of electricity)

Mo

de

rato

r

Mo

de

rato

r

Automatically

Fall by Gravity

(No need of

pump and

electricity)

No existence of Zr for fuel rod,

No existence of H2O for cooling,

No production of Hydrogen,

No explosion of Hydrogen.

P D/G

Loss of emergency cooling

SAFE

What will happen on MSR by earthquake?


Recent thorium meeting (1)


Recent thorium meeting (2)


Generation IV International Forum 15th MSR Prov. SSC Meeting Hotel Der Blaue Reiter in Karlsruhe, Germany, Nov 5, 2012

No problem on thorium MSR?


トリウム溶融塩炉

最新の国際的動向

溶融塩炉の工学的課題

©Takashi Kamei, 2012 2012年6月12日静岡県原子力経済性等検証専門部会

公益財団法人応用科学研究所特別研究員亀井敬史

How many Th-MSR is available?

392 GWe @2050

948 GWe @2050


High power magnet using

rare-earth (Dy, Nd)

Low carbon transportation, EV

ICI2011, Daejeon, Korea during August 21-25, 2011

We have to know

Rare-earth annual production

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050

t

Australia

China

USA

India

We are here


• REE (Rare-Earth Elements) is indispensable for sustainability

• REE production is somewhat dirty

• The most important problem is thorium

• No one wants to pay additional cost for thorium

• Some “C”ountry may make monopoly of REE production

• If new countries try to take care of thorium, they have no competitive market power to sell REE

• Therefore, to construct a mechanism for taking care of thorium becomes a subject

Present situation of REE production 平成２４年度第２回シンビオ研究談話会, 京都大学百周年時計台記念館, ２０１２年１１月１６日

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

500,000

1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050

t

Thorium (accumulation)

Australia

China

USA

India

Consumption

How many thorium will be used?

We are here


What is happening with REE?

REE

Waste Th

No one pays

cost to protect

environment

from “Th”

“Th” is thrown

away into

environment

Thorium caused this

child’s death. But REE

consumers don’t know

and don’t pay for him.

Is it justice?

Oh…no money

to protect

environment

Hey, make

it cheap!!

Hmm, HV is

clean. I’m good

guy!! (…really?)

pressure

$100/kg-REE

$40,000/HV

Final consumers don’t

pay anything to protect

environment from Th

ThEC12, Oct 29 – Nov 1, 2012, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China © Takashi Kamei, 2012

不義

You may think that US will do it by himself

• US has 15% of REE deposit

• US needs to use REE for its own sake

(EV, PV, mobile phone, Military use etc)

• US decided to re-start REE production

• US will spend federal budget to develop REE (Molycorp etc)

• US must take care of thorium

• US “may” use thorium….when?

…is it reliable?

US stored thorium in 1950’s but it stopped in 1959.

“If” thorium is not used, we don’t know where above thorium goes.


The Bank (Thorium Energy Bank)

• The Bank is an international organization

• Primary purpose is to store thorium which

comes during refining process of REE

• Secondary purpose is to support countries

which hope to use thorium as energy

The Bank


Functions of “The Bank”

The most important function of “The Bank” is to provide thorium storage.

Storage

• Thorium (in the beginning, only thorium is stored)

• Uranium-233 (after start usage of thorium reactor…since 2030?)

• Fission-product (including REE)

• Minor Actinide (MA)

Reprocessing (Can be done by private company)

Fuel fabrication (Can be done by private company)

“The Bank” does not have a function of inspection.

Collaboration with IAEA will be needed if uranium-233 is stored.


How thorium is stored in The Bank

D Enmark?

Th

There may be some

countries which keep

their thorium by

themselves

A Merica?

B Razil?

C Anada?

The Bank

Th Th Th

• Proprietary rights must be abandoned =

not to allow disposal

• Right of use is kept = Deposit

• Right of use can be abandoned =

Transfer to “The Bank”


Of course, “No Charge”

The Bank

If somebody wants to use thorium

Transferred

Th

A Merica?

B Razil?

C Anada?

Th Th Th Th Th

Th

Deposit

Apply to use

thorium Fertile thorium

is leased with

“No Charge”


In order to use “fertile” thorium(1)

• Fissile is necessary to use thorium

• 239Pu, 235U, 233U are available

• If the countries using thorium from The Bank have their own fissile, they can use it

• The Bank does not have 239Pu and 235U

• Once thorium is used, The Bank becomes to have 233U

• The Bank will be able to supply this 233U with CHARGE


Fissile

The Bank

In order to use “fertile” thorium(2)

233U

A Merica?

B Razil?

C Anada?

233U 233U 233U 233U

Apply to use

thorium Fissile 233U is

leased with

“CHARGE”

239Pu must be prepared

outside of The Bank


Once thorium is used

Pu

Th

Pu

Th

233U

FP

Initial condition Final condition

MA

From outside

of The Bank

From The Bank

Return to the origin

Return to The Bank Few years

operation

Reactor type is not focal point of this discussion


The Bank

Thorium 233U FP MA

Th Th Th

After the use of thorium

233U

A Merica?

B Razil?

C Anada?

233U 233U

233U FP MA Th

Remaining 239Pu must

be returned to the origin


Locations of warehouse of thorium

Th 233U FP MA Location

Type 1 O O O O US, UK, France etc

(Japan, if they accept)

Type 2 O - O O Countries using thorium

Type 3 O - - - Countries not using thorium

Type 4 - - O O Is there such a country? (Only

to store radioactive waste)


Country of thorium

nuclear power

Country of

“The Bank”

Country of rare-earth

mining and use,

thorium nuclear power

Country of rare-

earth use

Country of rare-earth

mining and use

Country of rare-earth mining

The Bank THorium Energy Bank

Profit:

•Security

•Guarantee

•Low cost of fuel Profit:

•Environment

•Commodity of Th

Rare-earth

Thorium (Th)

Fissile (233U)

Debt (Th, 233U)

Return (Th)

Interest (233U)

Deposit (Th) Deposit (Th)

Function of “The Bank”:

-Storage (Th, 233U, FP, TRU)

-Reprocessing

-Fuel fabrication

Head Office and Local Branches in the world

Overview of “The Bank” 平成２４年度第２回シンビオ研究談話会, 京都大学百周年時計台記念館, ２０１２年１１月１６日

Conclusion

• Though thorium is recognized as energy because

of its safety, non-proliferation, low waste, but

• There is possibility of environmental hazard by Th

• Th storage by “The Bank” can protect environment

• Then it enables to provide energy, which is

safe

clean

peace


Documents

The Bank - symbio-newsreport.jpn.orgsymbio-newsreport.jpn.org/files/upload/report/presentation_1353764384.pdfGeneration IV International Forum 15th MSR Prov. SSC Meeting Hotel Der