Abstract
Generation-IV reactors are a set of nuclear reactors currently being developed under international collaborations targeting sustainability, safety and reliability, high economics, proliferation resistance, and physical protection of nuclear energy. Nuclear systems have been developed over a number of decades and have evolved to the third generation from the first generation of prototypes constructed in 1950s and 1960s, via the second generation of the commercial reactors operated worldwide after 1970s. While the third generation nuclear systems are currently proposed to the potential customers and under constructions with significant evolutionary in economics and safety based on lessons learnt through plenty reactor operations, nuclear experts from around the world began formulating the requirements for a generation IV of nuclear systems concerning over energy resource availability, climate change, air quality, and energy security. Six systems have been selected for further R&D as generation IV nuclear systems by Generation IV International Forum (GIF), which is a cooperative international endeavor organized to carry out the R&D needed to establish the feasibility and performance capabilities of Generation IV systems. The six systems are Gas-cooled Fast Reactor, Lead-cooled Fast Reactor, Molten Salt Reactor, Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor, Supercritical-Water Reactor, and Very-High-Temperature Reactor.
This chapter was originally published as part of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology edited by Robert A. Meyers. DOI:10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- Breeding ratio:
-
Ratio of fission atom production to fissile atom destruction during a certain time interval in a nuclear system.
- Closed fuel cycle (full recycle):
-
One of the nuclear fuel cycle options, in which all actinides in the used nuclear fuel are separated and recycled to reduce the radiotoxicity of a geological repository while enhancing uranium utilization.
- Energy sustainability:
-
Ability to meet the energy needs of the present generation while enhancing the ability of the future generation. In GEN-IV, the sustainability is measured by utilization of uranium resource without creating any weakness in economics and environmental goals.
- GFR:
-
Gas-cooled Fast Reactor, which features a fast reactor and closed fuel cycle.
- GIF:
-
Generation IV international forum, which is a cooperative international endeavor organized to carry out the R&D needed to establish the feasibility and performance capabilities of GEN-IV nuclear systems.
- LFR:
-
Lead-cooled Fast Reactor, which features a fast reactor and closed fuel cycle.
- MSR:
-
Molten Salt Reactor, which features thermal, epithermal, or fast reactor and closed fuel cycle.
- Open fuel cycle (once-through cycle):
-
One of the nuclear fuel cycle options, in which the used nuclear fuel discharged from a nuclear system is stored for some period of time and disposed in a geological repository isolating from environment.
- Pyroprocessing:
-
The complete set of operations developed in USA. Integral Fast Reactor program based on the pyrometallurgical and electrochemical processes for recovering actinide elements from the used nuclear fuel and recycling them.
- SCWR:
-
Supercritical Water Reactor, which features either thermal or fast reactor and open or closed fuel cycle.
- SFR:
-
Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor, which features a fast reactor and closed fuel cycle.
- Uranium utilization:
-
Ratio of uranium mass used in a nuclear system for energy generation to the uranium mass required by the nuclear system in a nuclear fuel cycle option.
- VHTR:
-
Very-High-Temperature Reactor, which features a thermal reactor and open fuel cycle.
Bibliography
Primary Literature
Generation IV International Forum. http://www.gen-4.org
US-DOE Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee and GIF (2002) A technical roadmap for generation IV nuclear energy systems: ten nations preparing today for tomorrow’s energy needs. Generation IV International Forum. http://www.gen-4.org
Potter PC (1996) Gas turbine-modular helium reactor (GT-MHR) conceptual design description report. General Atomics GA-910720
Koster A, Matzer HD, Nicholsi DR (2003) PBMR design for the future. Nucl Eng Des 222:231–245
Simon R (2005) The primary circuit of the DRAGON high temperature reactor experiment. 18th International conference of structural mechanics in reactor technology (SMiRT 18), Beijing
Moormann R (2008) A safety re-evaluation of the AVR pebble bed reactor operation and its consequences for future HTR concepts. Institute for Energy Research, Switzerland
Wachholz W (1988) The present state of the HTR concept based on experience gained from AVR and THTR. International Working Group on Gas-cooled Reactors International Atomic Energy Agency IWGGCR-19, Vienna
Brown JR et al (1987) Physics testing at Fort St. Vrain: a review. Nucl Sci Eng 97:104
Yamashita K et al (1996) Nuclear design of the high-temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR). Nucl Sci Eng 122:212
Seker V, Colak U (2003) HTR-10 full core first criticality analysis with MCNP. Nucl Eng Des 222:263–270
Stainsby R, Peers K, Mitchell C, Poette C, Mikityuk K, Somers J (2009) Gas cooled fast reactor research and development in the European Union. Sci Technol Nucl Installations 2009:1–7
IAEA (2007) Status of small reactor designs without on-site refueling. International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA-TECDOC-1536, Vienna
Smith C, Halsey WG, Brown NW, Sienicki JJ, Moisseytsev A, Wade DC (2008) SSTAR: the US lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR). J Nucl Mater 376:255–259
Cinotti L, Smith CF, Sienicki JJ, Abderrahim HA, Benamati G, Locaelli G, Monti S, Wider H, Stuwe D, Orden A (2007) The potential of LFR and ELSY project. 2007 International congress on advances in nuclear power plants, Nice
Hannum WH (1997) The technology of Integral Fast Reactor and its associated fuel cycle. Prog Nucl Energy 31:1–217
Boardman CE (2000) A description of the S-PRISM plant. 8th International conference on nuclear engineering, Baltimore
Ingersoll T et al (2004) Status of pre-conceptual design of the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor (AHTR). Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, ORNL/TM-2004/104
Bettis ES, Cottrell WB, Mann ER, Meem JL, Whitman GD (1957) The aircraft reactor experiment: operation. Nucl Sci Eng 2:841–853
Haubenreich PN, Engel JR (1970) Experience with the molten-salt reactor experiment. Nucl Appl Technol 8:118–136
Kim TK, Yang WS, Grandy C, Hill RN (2009) Core design studies for a 1000 MWt advanced burner reactor. Ann Nucl Energy 36:331–336
Zhao H, Zhang H (2007) An innovative hybrid loop-pool design for sodium cooled fast reactor. Idaho National Laboratory INL/CON-07-12657
Koch L (2000) Experimental breeder reactor-II. Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago
Lash T (1997) Fast flux test facility (FFTF) briefing book 1: summary. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory PNNL-11778
Oka Y (2000) Design concept of once-through cycle supercritical pressurized light water reactors. The first International symposium on supercritical water-cooled reactors, SCR-2000, Tokyo
Macdonald P (2000) Feasibility study of supercritical light water cooled fast reactor for actinide burning and electric power production. Idaho National Laboratory INEEL/EXT-02-01330
Kim TK, Wilson PH, Hu P, Jain R (2004) Feasibility and configuration of a mixed spectrum supercritical water reactor. International topical meeting on the Physics of Fuel Cycles and Advanced Nuclear Systems (PHYSOR-2004), Chicago
Kim TK, Taiwo TA, Yang WS, Hill RN, Assessment of deep burnup concept based on graphite moderated gas-cooled thermal reactor. International topical meeting on the Physics of Fuel Cycles and Advanced Nuclear Systems (PHYSOR-2006), Vancouver
Book and Reviews
A Strategy for nuclear energy research and development. Electric Power Research Institute (ERPI)
Bouchard JB (2008) Generation IV advanced nuclear energy systems. Nucl Plant J 26
Kim WJ et al (2006) Supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power conversion cycle design for optimized battery-type integral reactor system. International congress on advances in nuclear power plants, Reno
MacDonald PE et al (2003) NGNP preliminary point design – results of initial neutronics and thermal-hydraulic assessment. INEEL/EXT-03-00870 Rev. 1. Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, September 2003
Sienicki JJ et al (2006) Status report on small secure transportable autonomous reactor (SSTAR)/lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) and supporting research and development. Argonne National Laboratory ANL-GenIV-089
Schultz RR (2008) Next generation nuclear plant methods research and development technical program plan. Idaho National Laboratory INL/EXT-06-11804
The US Generation IV Implementation Strategy (2003) US Department of Energy office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology
The US Generation IV Fast Reactor Strategy (2006) US Department of Energy office of Nuclear Energy
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kim, T.K. (2013). GEN-IV Reactors. In: Tsoulfanidis, N. (eds) Nuclear Energy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5716-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5716-9_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5715-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5716-9
eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)