1. Report of the Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises Oversight visit to Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Limited (PBMR Ltd.) at Pelindaba on 20 March 2008.

1. Delegation

Ms F Chohan (ANC) (Chairperson)

Ms V Meruti (ANC)

Mr E Kholwane (ANC)

Mr Z Kotwal (ANC)

Mr Y Wang (ANC)

Mr C Gololo (ANC)

Mr R Nogumla (ANC)

Mr M Van Dyk (DA)

The delegation was supported by Mr V Ramaano (Committee Secretary) and Mr T Ngoma

(Committee Assistant)

2. Object

The object of the visit was not only to undertake an oversight tour in regard to the operations of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Limited (PBMR Ltd.), but unusually also to understand the scientific basis for the technology employed in the proposed reactor. This was particularly important as much of the concern of the Portfolio Committee had been around the safety aspects of nuclear reactors, when PBMR Ltd. was earlier engaged in Parliament in August 2007.

3. Background

PBMR Ltd. was established in 1999 with the intention to develop and market fourth generation nuclear technology. Essentially PBMR Ltd. focuses on the development of a high temperature reactor with a close cycle gas turbine power conversion system. While the idea is to operate the reactor with a view to its application in electricity generation, it must be borne in mind that the applications for this technology are numerous. Such applications may include industrial heat producing applications, water purification processes, extraction of oil from sand (as in the oil sands initiative in Canada) and potentially even application for nuclear/hydrogen powered transportation.

4. Briefings

The Committee was welcomed and briefed inter-alia by Mr Jaco Kriek, CEO of PBMR Ltd. In his presentation to the Committee Mr Kriek made the following points:

- PBMR Ltd. currently employs 750 people – 90% of whom are South African. Taking into account the various skills and development initiatives, approximately 2 000 people are involved in the development of the technology.

- The table below reflects the number of cooperating institutions in the various areas of development:

Area of Development	Co-working Organization
Nuclear waste minimization	• Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (Necsa) • University of Pretoria • University of Witwatersrand • University of North West • European Union
Fuel development	• Necsa • University of Pretoria • Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University • University of Witwatersrand
Magnetic scrubber	• University of Stellenbosch • iThemba Labs
Fuel temperature measurement	• University of Stellenbosch • University of North West • Luna Innovations (USA)
Materials development	• Necsa • University of Pretoria • University of Cape Town

- South Africa has an historical repository of nuclear engineering expertise, skills, industrial and uranium resources that can be utilised in the development of a fourth generation nuclear industry and associated industries such as passive cooling and fuel temperature measurement, graphite decontamination for reuse, femto chemistry for graphite development, all of which are associated technologies.

- It makes sense for South Africa to lay the foundation of an energy industry due to the fact that the country needs clean heat-generating technologies for industry and for its power needs particularly given the fact that coal-fired power stations will begin reaching the end of their life-cycles from around 2025 to 2055.

- South Africa developed huge localization in the sixties and seventies when ESKOM embarked upon a major build programme. However, at the conclusion of the construction programme international companies pulled out of the country. A repeat of this must be avoided. The country should establish a fourth generation nuclear industry that is part of the world market right from its outset.

- There is developing consensus in South Africa that in relation to future electricity generation capacity a diversity of energy sources should be pursued. Of the non-carbon dioxide emitting mixes, only hydro power and nuclear power have the potential of providing cost effective base-load power. Internationally there is also a global energy crisis and more countries are now focusing on nuclear options.

- Amongst the major challenges faced by PBMR Ltd. is the issue of skills development. PBMR Ltd. has put in place an aggressive skills development programme. The company has initiated a national effort to upgrade the country’s industrial manufacturing capability by seeking to achieve ASME III accreditation.

- PBMR Ltd. is poised to construct the demonstration reactor at the Koeberg site by 2010 subject to receiving a nuclear and environmental licence. This will facilitate regulatory approval towards full-scale production by approximately 2017.

Currently PBMR Ltd. has notched up, inter-alia, the following achievements:

- 76 International patents have been registered,

- It contracted with the US NGNP for a conceptual design of a reactor,

- A safety analysis report was handed to ESKOM,

- An application to Necsa for a licence to construct a fuel plant has been submitted,

- Five test facilities have been built to mitigate technical risks. Many technical risks have already been mitigated through the various test facilities and multiple design concept changes. (Test facilities exist in Pelindaba and the North West University).

The Committee was then briefed by the Chief Technology Officer, Professor Johan Slabber on the scientific aspects of radiation and reactor fundamentals. In essence the following was gleaned:

- Nuclear industries must ensure that the benefits of radiation and radiation by-products far outweigh the risks of using or producing radioactive materials.

- To understand radiation and its sources, one needs to understand the fundamental properties of particles of matter (i.e. The Atomic Structure and Isotopes), and understand the interactions of forces between nuclear particles

- To understand the atomic structure, a standard model of the atom has the following features: central nucleus contains protons and neutrons that are surrounded by electrons. Below is the schematic presentation of the atomic structure.

Source: Presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises, PBMR, 20 March 2008, Dr Johan Slabber.

- The simplest nucleus of an element (hydrogen) consists of a single proton. Other elements have more protons held together by a similar or larger number of neutrons (strong force).The number of protons determines the chemical element. The number of electrons surrounding the nucleus is the same number as the number of protons in a neutral atom.

- Atoms of the same element can have different numbers of neutrons. The different possible versions of each element are called isotopes e.g. a hydrogen atom usually has 1 proton and no neutron. With an “added” neutron it becomes Deuterium and with two “added” neutrons it becomes Tritium. All three are isotopes of hydrogen with differing states of stability.

- Isotopes are usually present in a normal natural mixture of an element. Isotopic Abundance is the isotope (percentage) present in a normal natural mixture of the element.

- Enriched Uranium simply refers to the isotopic abundance in the various isotopes of uranium e.g. U238 has an abundance of 99,28% and an atomic mass of 238,0508 while natural uranium has no abundance value and an atomic mass of 238,03. Atoms with too many (or not enough) neutrons are generally unstable. Unstable atoms become stable, or decay, by emitting radiation.

- The pebble fuel consists of coated particles of uranium (U235) which derives its name from the make-up of its atomic core or nucleus. It contains 92 protons and 143 neutrons. This element is comparatively speaking not unstable.

- Through the process of adding a single neutron an instability results, oscillation and a splitting or “fission” of the U235 atom occurs causing energy release and radiation. During this process the “added” neutron would deliver a 0,025 e volt charge and upon fission a 200 million e volt charge is emitted.

- It is this released energy that is harnessed by heating helium gas which is an inert gas (i.e. does not react chemically with any element) and which has excellent thermal capacity.

- The heated helium gas expands which in turn rotates turbine blades.

5. Radiation

Radiation is all around us from ‘natural’ sources and from man-made sources. It can be harnessed to benefit mankind for different purposes such as:

o Power Generation,

o Non-destructive Examination,

o Radiotherapy,

o Medical diagnosis.

Source: Presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises, PBMR, 20 March 2008, Dr Johan Slabber.

Radiation can be in the form of particles and electro-magnetic waves. Human beings emit radiation calculated at approximately 7 000 bequerel, 1kg coffee emits radiation at approximately 1000 bequerel whereas 1kg Canadian uranium ore (15% isotopic abundance) emits 25 million bequerel, 1kg Australian uranium ore (0,3% isotopic abundance) emits ½ million bequerel.

The nuclear fission process emits inter-alia radiation. This radiation is in the form of gamma rays (i.e. electro-magnetic in nature). The radiation emitted is absorbed by the special coatings around each uranium particle within the graphite sphere which houses the uranium particles. The coating around each uranium particle consists of an inner porous carbon buffer, an inner pyrolytic carbon coat, a silicon carbide barrier and lastly another pyrolytic carbon layer. All of this is then contained in a graphite sphere.

“The uranium oxide, which is our nuclear fuel is in the form of these tiny kernels, about the size of a ballpoint pen tip. These kernels of fuel are then coated with four coatings, which is really the containment system that keeps all the radioactivity inside those kernels.” - Dr Adi Paterson (General Manager: Development Company at Pelindaba)

6. Conclusion

The members of the Committee, having learned a great deal regarding nuclear physics, have a sense of the issues relating to the safety aspects of the technology and design of the PBMR. The Committee is of the view that while safety is of paramount importance, that correctly harnessed, this technology holds much promise and benefit for human endeavors in various fields.

PBMR is cutting edge technology which South Africa is currently the leader in developing and refining. The various PBMR projects (electricity, heat and fuel production) have the potential of:

· Providing energy to South Africa and to the rest of the world in a number of niche markets.

· Providing a foundation for the development of the South African nuclear and conventional industry.

· Providing a platform for the development of novel high level technologies and human capital in the vital area of zero percent carbon dioxide emitting energy which is the direction the world is heading in.

The Committee is of the view that the regulatory framework within which this industry is developing must be streamlined and made certain if any unnecessary delays and costs are to be avoided. This is a challenge for government and in particular the policy-setting Departments of Minerals Energy, and Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

Report to be considered.