Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TANDEM (Small Modular ReacTor for a European sAfe aNd Decarbonized Energy Mix)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-02-29
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) can be hybridized with other energy sources, storage systems and energy conversion applications to provide electricity, heat and hydrogen. SMR technology thus has the potential to strongly contribute to the energy decarbonisation in order to achieve climate-neutrality in Europe by 2050. However, the integration of nuclear reactors, particularly SMRs, in hybrid energy systems is a new R&D topic to be investigated. In this context, the TANDEM project aims to provide assessments and tools to facilitate the safe, secure and efficient integration of SMRs into smart low-carbon hybrid energy systems. It proposes to specifically address the safety issues of SMRs related to their integration into hybrid energy systems, involving specific interactions between SMRs and the rest of the hybrid systems. An open-source "TANDEM" model library of hybrid system components is developed in Modelica language to build a hybrid system simulator which, by coupling, will extend the capabilities of existing tools implemented in the project.
TANDEM focuses on two main study cases corresponding to hybrid system configurations covering the main trends of the European energy policy and market evolution: a district heating network and power supply in an urban area, and an energy hub serving energy conversion systems, including hydrogen production, in a regional perspective. TANDEM will provide assessments on SMR safety, hybrid system operationality and techno-economics. Societal considerations will also be encased by analyzing the European citizen engagement regarding SMR technology safety.
Considering their near-term deployment in Europe (around 2035), the project is mainly focussed on light-water technologies. However, the project also aims to provide perspectives, whenever possible, for the integration of Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) into hybrid energy systems.
The work will result in technical, economic and societal recommendations and policy briefs on the safety of SMRs and their integration into hybrid energy systems for industry, R&D teams, TSOs, regulators, NGOs and policy makers. The TANDEM consortium will involve 18 partners from 8 countries.
TANDEM focuses on two main study cases corresponding to hybrid system configurations covering the main trends of the European energy policy and market evolution: a district heating network and power supply in an urban area, and an energy hub serving energy conversion systems, including hydrogen production, in a regional perspective. TANDEM will provide assessments on SMR safety, hybrid system operationality and techno-economics. Societal considerations will also be encased by analyzing the European citizen engagement regarding SMR technology safety.
Considering their near-term deployment in Europe (around 2035), the project is mainly focussed on light-water technologies. However, the project also aims to provide perspectives, whenever possible, for the integration of Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) into hybrid energy systems.
The work will result in technical, economic and societal recommendations and policy briefs on the safety of SMRs and their integration into hybrid energy systems for industry, R&D teams, TSOs, regulators, NGOs and policy makers. The TANDEM consortium will involve 18 partners from 8 countries.
The project started in September 2022. The project first studied the energy market and their projections, as well as the European energy policies. It led to define the generic configurations of two HESs to be studied by the project. The first confguration is related to a district heating network and power supply for large urban areas. The second one is an energy hub in an industrial perspective; the HES for energy hub is inspired from a harbour-like infrastructure, which can be characterized as a complex distribution network of in-out energy carrier fluxes (power, heat, gas, hydrogen,…) among various end-user segments. Three different variants of energy sources were proposed for each HES configuration. For the 2035 timeframe, SMRs were not incorporated in the low SMR deployment scenario, the energy mix is composed of fossil plants and renewables. In the high scenario in 2035, half of fossil plants are replaced by SMRs and integrated with renewables as energy sources. Furthermore, in the high scenario for the year 2050, the entire energy demand was met by SMR CHPs, SMR HOBs, and renewables. The goal of the study of these HESs configurations is to show the benefit by progressively replacing existing fossil plants by SMRs.
These configurations were derived in three case studies defined in local European energy contexts, in Finland and Czech Republic for the first configuration, and in France for the second one corresponding to a virtual harbour. The Backbone and PERSEE tools in stand-alone were implemeted in these three case studies in order to carry out a constraint-based optimization process, considering the minimization of CO2 emissions and costs, to size the various HES components.
The project started to develop an open-source modelica-based library gathering the models of the HES components (SMR, high temperature steam electrolyzer, district heating network, power grid, etc). The coupling of the component models will enable to develop a HES simulator. In parallel, the project also developped the modelling of the SMR use-case in TANDEM with system thermal-hydraulics codes, ATHLET and CATHARE. The use-case relies on an academic concept, called E-SMR, developed by the ELSMOR Euratom project. The development of the coupling between the ATHLET and CATHARE modelling with some component models of the modelica-based library also started.
The project analyzed the state-of-the-art of safety analyses in Europe from the operational flexibility and cogeneration viewpoint, in order to study in the open literature the specific safety considerations to deal with for a nuclear reactor operating in cogeneration. The amount of work done in Europe and abroad in relation to the safety aspects of the inclusion of light water reactors into hybrid energy systems in a cogeneration pattern was found to be limited. This requested to draw information from the broader field of the studies on nuclear cogeneration applications for different types of reactors, where experience has been accumulated by specific projects. There is some experience with nuclear cogeneration with existing nuclear power plants, but none with SMRs. For a safety assessment of SMRs integrated into HES, it is important to consider:
1/ the principles of standard safety assessment methodologies independently of interfaced HES by considering these HES as potential external hazards,
2/ some key points from the few safety analysis reports on the operation of NPPs in cogeneration or load following mode to accommodate flexibility in the energy supply,
3/ the consequences of SMR physical behavior and safety, induced by the SMR coupling with non-nuclear components in HES.
These configurations were derived in three case studies defined in local European energy contexts, in Finland and Czech Republic for the first configuration, and in France for the second one corresponding to a virtual harbour. The Backbone and PERSEE tools in stand-alone were implemeted in these three case studies in order to carry out a constraint-based optimization process, considering the minimization of CO2 emissions and costs, to size the various HES components.
The project started to develop an open-source modelica-based library gathering the models of the HES components (SMR, high temperature steam electrolyzer, district heating network, power grid, etc). The coupling of the component models will enable to develop a HES simulator. In parallel, the project also developped the modelling of the SMR use-case in TANDEM with system thermal-hydraulics codes, ATHLET and CATHARE. The use-case relies on an academic concept, called E-SMR, developed by the ELSMOR Euratom project. The development of the coupling between the ATHLET and CATHARE modelling with some component models of the modelica-based library also started.
The project analyzed the state-of-the-art of safety analyses in Europe from the operational flexibility and cogeneration viewpoint, in order to study in the open literature the specific safety considerations to deal with for a nuclear reactor operating in cogeneration. The amount of work done in Europe and abroad in relation to the safety aspects of the inclusion of light water reactors into hybrid energy systems in a cogeneration pattern was found to be limited. This requested to draw information from the broader field of the studies on nuclear cogeneration applications for different types of reactors, where experience has been accumulated by specific projects. There is some experience with nuclear cogeneration with existing nuclear power plants, but none with SMRs. For a safety assessment of SMRs integrated into HES, it is important to consider:
1/ the principles of standard safety assessment methodologies independently of interfaced HES by considering these HES as potential external hazards,
2/ some key points from the few safety analysis reports on the operation of NPPs in cogeneration or load following mode to accommodate flexibility in the energy supply,
3/ the consequences of SMR physical behavior and safety, induced by the SMR coupling with non-nuclear components in HES.
The utilization of SMRs in hybrid energy systems, ensuring electricity, heat or hydrogen production to support a wide array of energy demands has just started to be investigated in Europe. The relevance of the SMR integration into such systems has not been formally demonstrated yet in particular considering the safety perspective. The TANDEM project is gathering initiatives in Europe on this new R&D topic, and contribute to demonstrate the relevance of the SMRs integration into HESs.