The AFCR and its Contributions to the Back End of the Fuel Cycle

The AFCRTM and its Contributions to
the Back End of the Fuel Cycle
› World Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference 2017
› Catherine Cottrell, Project Engineering Manager, AFCR & NUE
April 27, 2017

A world leader
Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is one of the leading engineering and construction
groups in the world and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure. From
offices in over 50 countries, SNC-Lavalin’s employees provide EPC and EPCM
services to clients in a variety of industry sectors, including mining and metallurgy,
oil and gas, environment and water, infrastructure and clean power. SNC-Lavalin
can also combine these services with its financing and operations and maintenance
capabilities to provide complete end-to-end project solutions.
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4- Copyright- © [2015] SNC-Lavalin Inc. and its member companies. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited.
SNC-Lavalin Group Overview
End-to-end services
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Maintenance
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2016
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OFFICES IN OVER
50COUNTRIES
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Advancing the CANDU® Tradition
5
› Candu Energy Inc. (Candu) was established in 2011 to
acquire the commercial reactor business of Atomic
Energy of Canada Limited (AECL)
› 1,000 employees based in Mississauga
› In 2014, Candu Energy and SNC-Lavalin Nuclear were
integrated into a single nuclear business unit under a
single management team. They operate as separate
legal entities
› SNC-Lavalin has the exclusive right to all aspects of
CANDU technology, enabling it to continue CANDU-
related businesses in Canada and internationally
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Business Lines
Life Extension New Build O&M Services
Major Projects & Initiatives
6
› O&M services with 8
CANDU utilities in
Canada and abroad
› Supply of safety and
operational products
to global nuclear
industry
› IV CN Project in
Argentina (Atucha)
› Advanced Fuel Cycle
CANDU Reactor
(AFCRTM) in China
› Cernavoda units 3&4
project in Romania
› EC6 CANMOX project
in the United Kingdom
› Embalse in Argentina
› Darlington in Ontario
› Bruce in Ontario
› Long term:
Wolsong -Korea
Qinshan -China
Cernavoda -Romania
Other Services and
Products
› Decommissioning and
Waste Management
› Light Water Reactor
Services
› Small Modular
Reactor Services
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The CANDU Power Reactor
8
Fuel bundle
Calandria tube
Pressure tube
CANDU Fuel Channel Assembly
Features:
› Heavy water coolant and moderator
› On-power refueling
› Mid size - modular design (740 MWe)
› Natural Uranium as fuel
› Superior performance - average lifetime
Capacity Factor (CF): 88% worldwide
› Fuel cycle flexibility
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Competitive Advantages of the CANDU Reactor
9
› Capable of utilizing natural uranium fuel  no need for
costly fuel enrichment
› Excellent uranium fuel utilization rates
› Fuel flexibility  capable of utilizing several advanced
fuels: recycled uranium, plutonium and thorium-based fuels
› Only proven medium sized reactors  flexibility for grid
stability
› Easy localization and technology transfer
› Globally recognized amongst the highest ranked nuclear
reactors for its reliability and efficiency
 CANDU reactors produce safe, efficient, reliable, cheap, carbon-free electricity

CANDU Fuel Cycle Flexibility
10
The flexibility to utilize advanced fuels is a key differentiator of CANDU
technology, possible due to:
› Adaptable core through on-power refuelling
› Efficient fuel utilization
› Simple and small fuel bundle
› Minimal changes in reactor design to use different fuels
Recycled Uranium (RU) fuels:
› RU-based fuel has been qualified and demonstrated in CANDU reactors
› Natural Uranium Equivalent (NUE) is a mixture of RU and Depleted Uranium
› Direct use of Recycled Uranium (DRU) fuel for the Advanced Fuel CANDU
Reactor (AFCR™)
Low Enriched Uranium (LEU)/Thorium(Th) fuels:
› Thorium based fuels for the AFCR have been demonstrated through R&D and
testing
Plutonium Mixed OXide (MOX) fuels:
› Plutonium-based MOX fuels have been demonstrated through R&D and testing
› Design under development for CANMOX EC6 reactor

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China’s Nuclear Capacity Growth and
Uranium Demand
Year
Nuclear
Capacity
(GWe)
Nuclear
Capacity
(%)
Annual Uranium
Demand1 (t NU/a)
Cumulative Uranium
Demand2 (t NU)
20174 33 2 5,900 354,000
2020 60 – 80 4 – 5 11,000 – 15,000 648,000 – 864,000
2030 120 – 160 6 – 8 22,000 – 29,000 1,296,000 – 1,728,000
2050 350 – 450 12 – 16 63,000 – 81,000 3,780,000 – 4,860,000
1 Assuming ~180 t NU per GWe per year
2 Total uranium demand assuming a 60 year plant life
3 Highest cost category at USD 260/kgU total identified resources as of January 2015 per Uranium 2016 Red Book
4 http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/china-nuclear-power.aspx
~23 % of world’s
uranium resources
~64 % of world’s
uranium resources
› China’s identified natural uranium resources3: 272,500 tonnes
› World’s identified natural uranium resources3: 7,600,000 tonnes

1. Mining
› Product: Natural Uranium (NU)
2. A NU Use in CANDU
› By-product: Spent Fuel
2. B Enrichment
› Product: Enriched Uranium
› By-product: Depleted Uranium (DU)
3. Enriched Uranium Use in PWRs
› By-product: Spent Fuel
4. Reprocessing
› Product: Recycled Uranium (RU)
5. Uranium Re-Use in CANDU:
› As NUE or DRU
› By-Product: Spent Fuel
The CANDU Fuel Cycle
1
2.A
2.B 3
4
5
By-products of uranium enrichment
processes and recycled uranium from
PWR spent fuel can be re-utilized in
the CANDU reactor

Natural Uranium Equivalent
› Four parties: TQNPC, CNNFC, NPIC and Candu Energy
› NUE  mixture of recycled and depleted uranium
› NUE benefits:
› Increased uranium utilization rate
› Re-introduction of waste products into the energy stream
› Spent fuel reduction
› Economic advantage over NU
› Independence from NU market
› Synergistic relationship with existing PWR fleet
› NUE Project Status:
› Successful NUE fuel irradiation in Qinshan reactors in 2011
› CNNFC is carrying out the production of NUE fuel
› NUE full-core licensing was completed in December 2015
› NUE full-core implementation expected to start in 2018

Advanced Fuel CANDU Reactor
› AFCR design built on the success of NUE fuel
demonstration in the Qinshan CANDU units
› Generation III reactor based on Qinshan C6 and
Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6) reactors
› Meets post-Fukushima safety requirements
› Inherently safe design with both active and passive
safety features
› Optimized for efficient and economic utilization of
RU and thorium-based fuels  in line with
China’s closed fuel cycle policy
› Designed to utilize China’s existing manufacturing
and construction capabilities
› Synergistic relationship with China’s PWR fleet

AFCR New Build in China
› Largest nuclear market: 27 reactors in operation (20 GWe), 24
under construction and 150 GWe target capacity by 2030
› SNC-Lavalin established in China with 2 CANDU units
› The Advanced Fuel CANDU Reactor (AFCR) project has
reached an advanced stage with the identification of a site for a
new project
› AFCR value proposition: consume growing stockpile of spent
LWR fuel as Recycled Uranium. This could see a fleet of AFCRs
deployed in China in a 4:1 ratio to LWRs
› In September 2016, SNC-Lavalin signed an agreement in
principle for a Joint Venture with CNNC and SEC to develop
AFCR technology further, and build AFCRs in China and
internationally
16
Agreement in Principle: AFCR JV

AFCR Benefits to China
17
› The implementation of AFCRs in China in
a 4:1 ratio (e.g., 120 PWRs & 30 AFCRs)
would signify:
› Increasing the utilization of Uranium reserves
for nuclear electricity generation by 20 %
› Increasing China’s low carbon electricity
production from Uranium resources by
2 billion MWh per year
› Displacing 26 million tonnes of CO2 per
year when replacing coal-fired power plants
› Reducing the overall spent fuel burden of
China’s nuclear energy program by
70 tonnes per unit annually

18
Advanced Fuels Implementation in China:
Roadmap and Timelines
RU Thorium
Existing Qinshan CANDU Reactors New Build AFCRs
CANDU CANDU
Recycled
Uranium Fuel
Demo
Thorium Fuel
Demo
AFCR AFCR
Recycled
Uranium Fuel
Thorium
Fuel
Natural
Uranium Fuel
Recycled
Uranium Fuel
2002/03 2018 2026 2030+

The AFCR and its Contributions to the Back End of the Fuel Cycle

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The AFCR and its Contributions to the Back End of the Fuel Cycle