Life Cycle Assessment of the New Generation GT-MHR Nuclear Power Plant

Paul Koltun, Alfred Tsykalo and Vasily Novozhilov
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Paul Koltun: Centre for Environmental Safety and Risk Engineering (CESARE), Victoria University, Melbourne 8001, Australia
Alfred Tsykalo: Odessa National Academy of Food Technologies, 112 Kanatna St, Odesa 65000, Ukraine
Vasily Novozhilov: Centre for Environmental Safety and Risk Engineering (CESARE), Victoria University, Melbourne 8001, Australia

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: This study describes a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a fourth generation (4G) nuclear power plant. A high temperature helium cooled reactor and gas turbine technology with modular helium reactor (GT-MHR) is used in this study as an example. This is currently one the safest design of a nuclear power plant. The study also takes into account impact of accidents and incidents (AI) which happened around the world at nuclear power generation facilities. The adopted method for the study is a hybrid LCA analysis. The analysis of each phase of the life cycle was done on the basis of process chain analysis (PCA). Where detailed data were not available, the Input/Output (I/O) databases was employed. The obtained results show that greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and energy intensity per unit of electricity production are relatively low. In fact, these are even lower than emissions from a number of renewable energy sources. The results show considerably different greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and energy intensity per unit of electricity production when effects of AI are taken into account.

Keywords: energy generation; nuclear power plant; LCA; accidents and incidents (AI) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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