Uranium/Thorium Fuelled High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor Applications for Energy Neutral and Sustainable Comprehensive Extraction and Mineral Product Development Processes

Closed for proposals

Project Type

Coordinated Research Project

Project Code

T11006

CRP

2083

Approved Date

8 May 2014

Status

Closed

Start Date

22 April 2015

Expected End Date

21 April 2019

Completed Date

6 December 2019

Participating Countries

China
Germany
Mexico

Description

Increased demand for mineral commodities is growing exponentially and high-grade, easily extractable resources are being depleted rapidly. This shifts the global production to low-grade or, in certain cases, unconventional mineral resources, the production of which depends on the availability of large amounts of energy, since thermal processes are the most appropriate in such cases. These processes can be sustainable only if low-cost, carbon free, reliable energy is available for comprehensive extraction of all valuable commodities, for the entire lifetime of the project. The availability of energy in many cases will also promote value addition and provide higher purity end products, which will improve the overall economics of the project. These processes are usually cleaner and generate lower quantities of wastes. Thermal processes using high temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGRs) could be a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to the presently used various conventional chemical processes. As most of the suggested mineral deposits contain low concentrations of uranium and thorium, these could be recovered by a thermal process and used as fuel in the HTGRs. The proposed CRP is intended to generate basic data on the availability and characteristics of such mineral resources as phosphates, copper, rare-earth elements, gold ores and coal, as well as process residues such as phosphogypsum and gold tailings, and to conduct conceptual and feasibility level studies on appropriate energy neutral thermal processes in which thorium/uranium fuelled HTGRs will provide the required energy.

Objectives

Techno-economic investigations on the use of HTGRs as heat/electricity supplier for minerals and uranium/thorium recovery from unconventional resources; phosphate rock using the thermal process during phosphate fertilizer production; copper and gold ores during copper and gold mining/extraction; by-products from rare earth elements mining; coal and lignite in coal-to-liquid (CTL) projects.

Specific objectives

Establish a techno-economic analyses method and apply it to clarify if the identified needs (see Specific Objective 1) can be met technically and economically using High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs).

Identify and characterise the heat/steam/electricity requirements of various thermal processing methods (e.g. thermal phosphate rock processing, thermal copper/gold/REE processing, etc.).

Obtain research outcomes of the environmental net benefits (e.g. prevented waste, amount of accessed unconventional resources), the overall power balance of the system (reactor fuel recovered vs. reactor fuel spend) and the overall environmental footprint of the processes.

Impact

The CRP had a considerable impact on (1) the view of nuclear power plants, particularly SMRs, as potential energy sources for mineral processing and (2) the recovery of uranium as a byproduct from unconventional resources, particularly phosphate ores.
It is unlikely that “energy neutral mineral processing” as it was envisioned in the CRP will be realized in full, but it is very likely that the two crucial parts of it (i.e. using nuclear power plants to provide process heat for more sustainable mineral processing operations, and byproduct uranium recovery that results in a cleaner primary ore product and can foster a more diverse uranium supply) will be realized in the very near future.
In addition to the TECDOC that summarizes the results of the CRP and the considerable scientific literature published by the participating experts, the CRP also managed to attract the attention of the nuclear community at large with “Word Nuclear News” covering the results of the CRP in a widely publicized article: https://world-nuclear-news.org/UF-High-temperature-reactors-for-energy-n....

Relevance

The CRP was relevant since it allowed a wide range of different experts, from different scientific disciplines (mineral processing, applied geology and nuclear engineering) and different Member States (i.e., Argentina, China, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, United Republic of Tanzania, Tunisia, Bolivian Republic of Venezuela) to effectively work together. Participating experts emphasized continuously that no other format would have provided for such a cooperation to thrive.

CRP Publications

Type

Book Chapter

Year

2014

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11059-2_91

Description

Using high temperature reactors for energy neutral phosphate fertilizer and phosphogypsum processing

Country/Organization

IAEA

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2019

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2019.04.008

Description

Uranium supply potential from phosphate rocks for Argentina’s nuclear power fleet

Type

Journal paper : Nucl Eng Des 2015:1–5.

Year

2015

Description

Haneklaus N, Reitsma F, Tulsidas H. High Temperature Reactors for a new IAEA Coordinated Research Project on energy neutral mineral development processes.

Country/Organization

IAEA

Type

AIMS 2016, Aachen:

Year

2016

Description

Haneklaus N, Reitsma F, Tulsidas H, Schnug E, Lottermoser BG, Allelein H-J. Energy Neutral Mineral Development Processes - An Overview.

Country/Organization

Germany

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2017

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.3390/pr5040067

Description

Stop smoking—Tube-in-tube helical system for flameless calcination of minerals

Country/Organization

China

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2019

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/227/5/052033

Description

Uranium resources in China’s phosphate rocks — identifying low-hanging fruits

Country/Organization

China

Type

Book Chapter

Year

2014

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11059-2_14

Description

Uranium in phosphate fertilizers - review and outlook

Country/Organization

Germany

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2018

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.3390/su10010235

Description

On the sustainability and progress of energy neutral mineral processing

Country/Organization

IAEA

Type

Conference: Uranium Raw Mater. Nucl. Fuel Cycle, 2014.

Year

2014

Description

Haneklaus N, Reitsma F, Tulsidas H, Tyobeka B, Schnug E, Allelein H-J, et al. Using high temperature reactors for energy neutral mineral development processes a proposed IAEA Coordinated Research Project.

Country/Organization

IAEA

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2021

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.110740

Description

Unconventional uranium in China’s phosphate rock: Review and outlook

Country/Organization

China

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2019

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2019.02.012

Description

Uranium resources in EU phosphate rock imports

Country/Organization

UNECE

Type

Submission for consideration / review to a special issue of Sustainability

Year

2017

Description

On the Sustainability and Progress of Energy Neutral Mineral Processing

Country/Organization

All / joint journal paper

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2020

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b07859

Description

Making uranium recovery from phosphates great again?

Country/Organization

Germany

Type

Book Chapter

Year

2016

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7612-7_14

Description

Energy neutral phosphate fertilizer production using high temperature reactors, Phosphorus in Agriculture: 100 % Zero

Country/Organization

Germany

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2017

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2017.08.123

Description

Economic evaluation of flameless phosphate rock calcination with concentrated solar power and high temperature reactors

Country/Organization

China

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2020

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.3390/min10110937

Description

Thermal beneficiation of Sra Ouertane (Tunisia) Low-Grade Phosphate Rock

Country/Organization

Tunisia

Type

Book/Report

Year

2017

Publication URL

https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/270321

Description

The High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor: Safety considerations of the (V)HTR-Modul

Country/Organization

Germany

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2017

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b05506

Description

To Extract, or not to extract uranium from phosphate rock, that is the question

Country/Organization

Germany

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2017

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1080/08929882.2017.1394061

Description

Phosphate rocks and nuclear proliferation

Country/Organization

Germany

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2015

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.08.037

Description

Using high temperature gas-cooled reactors for greenhouse gas reduction and energy neutral production of phosphate fertilizers

Country/Organization

IAEA

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2015

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2016.01.013

Description

High temperature reactors for a new IAEA coordinated research project on energy neutral mineral development processes

Country/Organization

IAEA

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2015

Publication URL

https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/home-1/42-vol-144-no-1-june-2015/532-energy-n…

Description

Energy neutral phosphate fertilizer production using high temperature reactors: A Philippine case study

Country/Organization

Philippines

Type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Year

2019

Publication URL

https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/479/1/012065

Description

Direct leaching of rare earth elements and uranium from phosphate rocks

Country/Organization

Kuwait

Stay in touch

Newsletter