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Generation IV reactor

 
Generation IV Reactor

 
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Generation IV reactor
 
 
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Generation IV reactors (Gen IV) are a set of theoretical nuclear reactor designs currently being researched. Most of these designs are generally not expected to be available for commercial construction before 2030, with the exception of a version of the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) called the Next Generation Nuclear Plant
Next Generation Nuclear Plant

A Next Generation Nuclear Plant is a generation IV reactor version of the Very high temperature reactor that could be coupled to a neighbouring hydrogen production....
 (NGNP). The NGNP is to be completed by 2021. Current reactors in operation around the world are generally considered second- or third-generation systems, with the first-generation systems having been retired some time ago.






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Generation IV reactors (Gen IV) are a set of theoretical nuclear reactor designs currently being researched. Most of these designs are generally not expected to be available for commercial construction before 2030, with the exception of a version of the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) called the Next Generation Nuclear Plant
Next Generation Nuclear Plant

A Next Generation Nuclear Plant is a generation IV reactor version of the Very high temperature reactor that could be coupled to a neighbouring hydrogen production....
 (NGNP). The NGNP is to be completed by 2021. Current reactors in operation around the world are generally considered second- or third-generation systems, with the first-generation systems having been retired some time ago. Research into these reactor types was officially started by the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) based on eight technology goals. The primary goals being to improve nuclear safety
Nuclear safety

Nuclear safety covers the actions taken to prevent nuclear and radiation accidents or to limit their consequences. This covers nuclear power plants as well as all other nuclear facilities, the transportation of nuclear materials, the use and storage of nuclear materials for medical, power, industry, and military uses....
, improve proliferation resistance, minimize waste and natural resource utilization, and to decrease the cost to build and run such plants.

An Integrated Nuclear Energy Model is central to standardized and credible economic evaluation of Generation IV nuclear energy systems. The innovative nuclear systems considered within Generation IV require new tools for their economic assessment, since their characteristics differ significantly from those of current generation II
Generation II reactor

A generation II reactor is a nuclear reactor of one of several types developed from the first generation I reactors. The change was great but not entirely revolutionary, with some completely new types and technologies being used....
 and III
Generation III reactor

A generation III reactor is a development of any of the generation II nuclear reactor designs incorporating evolutionary improvements in design which have been developed during the lifetime of the generation II reactor designs....
 nuclear power plants. The current economic models were not designed to compare alternative nuclear technologies or systems but rather to compare nuclear energy with fossil alternatives.
Genivroadmap
The reactors are intended for use in nuclear power plants to produce nuclear power
Nuclear power

Nuclear power is any nuclear technology designed to extract usable energy from atomic nucleus via controlled nuclear reactions. The only method in use today is through nuclear fission, though other methods might one day include nuclear fusion and radioactive decay ....
 from nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel

Nuclear fuel is any material that can be consumed to derive nuclear energy, by analogy to chemical fuel that is Combustioned to derive energy....
.

Reactor types


Many reactor types were considered initially; however, the list was downsized to focus on the most promising technologies and those that could most likely meet the goals of the Gen IV initiative. Three systems are nominally thermal reactors
Thermal reactor

A thermal reactor uses slow or thermal neutrons. Most power reactors are of this type. These type of reactors use a neutron moderator to slow neutrons until they approach the average kinetic energy of the surrounding particles, that is, to reduce the speed of the neutrons to low velocity thermal neutrons....
 and three fast reactors. The VHTR is also being researched for potentially providing high quality process heat for hydrogen production. The fast reactors offer the possibility of burning actinides to further reduce waste and of being able to breed more fuel than they consume. These systems offer significant advances in sustainability, safety and reliability, economics, proliferation resistance and physical protection.

Thermal reactors

Vhtr
Very-High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR)

The Very High Temperature Reactor concept utilizes a graphite
Graphite

The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Greek language ??afe?? : "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead, as distinguished from the actual metallic element lead....
-moderated core with a once-through uranium
Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-gray metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the chemical symbol U and atomic number 92....
 fuel cycle. This reactor design envisions an outlet temperature of 1,000 °C. The reactor core can be either a prismatic-block or a pebble bed reactor
Pebble bed reactor

The pebble bed reactor is a graphite-Neutron moderator, gas-cooled, nuclear reactor. It is a type of Very high temperature reactor [formally known as the high temperature gas reactor ], one of the six classes of nuclear reactors in the Generation IV reactor....
 design. The high temperatures enable applications such as process heat or hydrogen
Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
 production via the thermochemical iodine-sulfur
Sulfur-iodine cycle

The sulfur-iodine cycle is a series of Thermochemistry processes used to Hydrogen production.The S-I cycle consists of three chemical reactions whose net reactant is water and whose net products are hydrogen and oxygen....
 process. It would also be passively safe
Passive nuclear safety

Passive nuclear safety describes a safety feature of a nuclear reactor that does not require operator action or electronic feedback in order to shut down safely in the event of a particular type of emergency ....
.
Scwr

Supercritical-Water-Cooled Reactor (SCWR)

The Supercritical water reactor (SCWR) is a concept that uses supercritical water
Supercritical fluid

A supercritical fluid is any substance at a temperature and pressure above its critical point . It can Diffusion through solids like a gas, and Solvation materials like a liquid....
 as the working fluid. SCWRs are basically light water reactor
Light water reactor

The light water reactor or LWR is a type of thermal reactor, a reactor that uses a neutron moderator to reduce the speed of neutrons to low velocity thermal neutrons....
s (LWR) operating at higher pressure and temperatures with a direct, once-through cycle. As most commonly envisioned, it would operate on a direct cycle, much like a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), but since it uses supercritical water (not to be confused with critical mass) as the working fluid, would have only one phase present, like the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR
Pressurized water reactor

Pressurized water reactor are Generation II reactor nuclear reactors that use ordinary water under high pressure as coolant to remove heat generated by nuclear chain reaction from nuclear fuel, and as the neutron moderator to thermalise the neutron flux so that it interacts with the nuclear fuel to maintain the chain reaction....
). It could operate at much higher temperatures than both current PWRs and BWRs.

Supercritical water-cooled reactors (SCWRs) are promising advanced nuclear systems because of their high thermal efficiency
Thermal efficiency

In thermodynamics, the thermal efficiency is a Dimensionless quantity performance measure of a thermal device such as an internal combustion engine, a boiler, or a furnace, for example....
 (i.e., about 45% vs. about 33% efficiency for current LWRs) and considerable plant simplification.

The main mission of the SCWR is generation of low-cost electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
. It is built upon two proven technologies, LWRs, which are the most commonly deployed power generating reactors in the world, and supercritical fossil fuel
Fossil fuel

Fossil fuels or mineral fuels are fossil source fuels, that is, carbon or hydrocarbons found in the earth?s Crust .Fossil fuel range from volatile materials with low carbon:hydrogen ratios like methane, to liquid petroleum to nonvolatile materials composed of almost pure carbon, like anthracite coal....
 fired boiler
Boiler

A boiler is a closed Pressure vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications....
s, a large number of which are also in use around the world. The SCWR concept is being investigated by 32 organizations in 13 countries.

Msr

Molten Salt Reactor (MSR)
A molten salt reactor is a type of nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor

A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a steady rate, as opposed to a nuclear bomb, in which the chain reaction occurs in a fraction of a second and is uncontrolled causing an explosion....
 where the coolant
Coolant

A coolant is a fluid which flows through a device in order to prevent its overheating, transferring the heat produced by the device to other devices that utilize or dissipate it....
 is a molten salt. There have been many designs put forward for this type of reactor and a few prototypes built. The early concepts and many current ones had the nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel

Nuclear fuel is any material that can be consumed to derive nuclear energy, by analogy to chemical fuel that is Combustioned to derive energy....
 dissolved in the molten fluoride
Fluoride

Fluoride is the Redox form of fluorine. Both organic compounds and inorganic compounds containing the chemical element fluorine are considered fluorides....
 salt as uranium
Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-gray metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the chemical symbol U and atomic number 92....
 tetrafluoride (UF4), the fluid would reach criticality by flowing into a graphite
Graphite

The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Greek language ??afe?? : "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead, as distinguished from the actual metallic element lead....
 core which also served as the moderator
Neutron moderator

In nuclear engineering, a neutron moderator is a medium which reduces the speed of fast neutrons, thereby turning them into thermal neutrons capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction involving uranium-235....
. Many current concepts rely on fuel that is dispersed in a graphite matrix with the molten salt providing low pressure, high temperature cooling.

Fast reactors

Gfr
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GFR)
The Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GFR) system features a fast-neutron spectrum and closed fuel cycle
Nuclear fuel cycle

The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. It consists of steps in the front end, which are the preparation of the fuel, steps in the service period in which the fuel is used during reactor operation, and steps in the back end, which are ne...
 for efficient conversion of fertile uranium
Fertile material

File:Sasahara.svgFertile material is a term used to describe nuclides which generally themselves do not undergo induced Nuclear fission but from which fissile material is generated by neutron absorption and subsequent nuclei conversions....
 and management of actinide
Actinide

According to IUPAC nomenclature, the actinoid series encompasses the 15 chemical elements that lie between actinium and lawrencium included on the periodic table, with atomic numbers 89 - 103....
s. The reactor is helium
Helium

Helium is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert monatomic chemical element that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table and whose atomic number is 2....
-cooled, with an outlet temperature of 850 °C and using a direct Brayton cycle
Brayton cycle

The Brayton cycle is a thermodynamic cycle that describes the workings of the gas turbine engine, basis of the jet engine and others. It is named after George Brayton , the American engineer who developed it, although it was originally proposed and patented by Englishman John Barber in 1791....
 gas turbine
Gas turbine

A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a flow of combustion gas. It has an upstream compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
 for high thermal efficiency. Several fuel forms are being considered for their potential to operate at very high temperatures and to ensure an excellent retention of fission
Nuclear fission

In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the atomic nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts, often producing free neutrons and lighter atomic nucleus, which may eventually produce photons ....
 products: composite ceramic
Ceramic

File:Bridge from dental porcelain.jpgFile:Qing vase p1070256.jpgA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetal solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling....
 fuel, advanced fuel particles, or ceramic clad elements of actinide compounds. Core configurations are being considered based on pin- or plate-based fuel assemblies or prismatic blocks.

Sfr

Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (SFR)

The SFR is a project that builds on two closely related existing projects, the LMFBR and the Integral Fast Reactor
Integral Fast Reactor

The Integral Fast Reactor or Advanced Liquid metal cooled reactor is a design for a nuclear fast reactor with a specialized nuclear fuel cycle....
.

The goals are to increase the efficiency of uranium usage by breeding
Breeder reactor

File:Ebr1core.pngA breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates new fissile or Nuclear fuel material at a greater rate than it consumes such material....
 plutonium and eliminating the need for transuranic isotopes ever to leave the site. The reactor design uses an unmoderated core running on fast neutrons, designed to allow any transuranic isotope to be consumed (and in some cases used as fuel). In addition to the benefits of removing the long half-life
Half-life

The half-life of a quantity whose value decreases with time is the interval required for the quantity to decay to half of its initial value. The concept originated in describing how long it takes atoms to undergo radioactive decay but also applies in a wide variety of other situations....
 transuranics from the waste cycle, the SFR fuel expands when the reactor overheats, and the chain reaction automatically slows down. In this manner, it is passively safe.

The Integral Fast Reactor
Integral Fast Reactor

The Integral Fast Reactor or Advanced Liquid metal cooled reactor is a design for a nuclear fast reactor with a specialized nuclear fuel cycle....
 or IFR is a design for a nuclear reactor with a specialized nuclear fuel cycle
Nuclear fuel cycle

The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. It consists of steps in the front end, which are the preparation of the fuel, steps in the service period in which the fuel is used during reactor operation, and steps in the back end, which are ne...
. A prototype of the reactor was built, but the project was cancelled before it could be copied elsewhere.

The SFR reactor concept is cooled by liquid sodium
Sodium

Sodium is an element which has the symbol Na , atomic number 11, atomic mass 23 amu , and a common oxidation number +1. Sodium is a soft, silvery white, highly reactive element and is a member of the alkali metals within "group 1" ....
 and fueled by a metallic alloy of uranium
Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-gray metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the chemical symbol U and atomic number 92....
 and plutonium
Plutonium

Plutonium is a rare transuranic radioactive chemical element. It is an actinide metal of silvery-white appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when plutonium oxide....
. The fuel is contained in steel cladding with liquid sodium filling in the space between the fuel and the cladding. One of the design challenges of an SFR are the risks of handling Sodium.
Lfr

Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor (LFR)
The Lead-cooled Fast Reactor features a fast-neutron-spectrum lead
Lead

Lead is a main-group Chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metal ....
 or lead
Lead

Lead is a main-group Chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metal ....
/bismuth
Bismuth

Bismuth is a chemical element that has the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. This heavy, brittle, white crystalline trivalent poor metal has a pink tinge and chemically resembles arsenic and antimony....
 eutectic (LBE
Lead-bismuth eutectic

Lead-Bismuth Eutectic or LBE is a eutectic alloy of lead and bismuth used as a coolant in some nuclear reactors, and is a proposed coolant for the lead cooled fast reactor, part of the Generation IV reactor initiative....
) liquid-metal-cooled reactor with a closed fuel cycle
Nuclear fuel cycle

The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. It consists of steps in the front end, which are the preparation of the fuel, steps in the service period in which the fuel is used during reactor operation, and steps in the back end, which are ne...
. Options include a range of plant ratings, including a "battery" of 50 to 150 MW of electricity that features a very long refueling interval, a modular system rated at 300 to 400 MW, and a large monolithic plant option at 1,200 MW. (The term battery refers to the long-life, factory-fabricated core, not to any provision for electrochemical energy conversion.) The fuel is metal or nitride-based containing fertile uranium
Fertile material

File:Sasahara.svgFertile material is a term used to describe nuclides which generally themselves do not undergo induced Nuclear fission but from which fissile material is generated by neutron absorption and subsequent nuclei conversions....
 and transuranics. The LFR is cooled by natural convection
Convection

Convection in the most general terms refers to the movement of molecules within fluids . Convection is one of the major modes of heat transfer and mass transfer....
 with a reactor outlet coolant temperature of 550 °C, possibly ranging up to 800 °C with advanced materials. The higher temperature enables the production of hydrogen by thermochemical processes.

See also


  • Nuclear reactor
    Nuclear reactor

    A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a steady rate, as opposed to a nuclear bomb, in which the chain reaction occurs in a fraction of a second and is uncontrolled causing an explosion....
  • Nuclear material
    Nuclear material

    Nuclear material consists of materials used in nuclear technology systems, such as nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Most commonly this refers to special nuclear material as defined in the United States Atomic Energy Act....
  • Nuclear physics
    Nuclear physics

    Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei.The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power and nuclear weapons, but the research field is also the basis for a far wider range of applications, including in the medical sector , in materials engineering...
  • List of reactor types
  • Generation II reactor
    Generation II reactor

    A generation II reactor is a nuclear reactor of one of several types developed from the first generation I reactors. The change was great but not entirely revolutionary, with some completely new types and technologies being used....
  • Generation III reactor
    Generation III reactor

    A generation III reactor is a development of any of the generation II nuclear reactor designs incorporating evolutionary improvements in design which have been developed during the lifetime of the generation II reactor designs....


External links


  • (Nov. 2007) - A publication from the Austrian Ecology Institute about 'Generation IV' and Fusion reactors.


Participating countries


(Korean-only Web site) (French-only Web site) (Portuguese-only Web site)
  • Flag of Argentina
    Argentina
    Argentina

    Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
      (Spanish-only Web site)
  • European Union
    European Union

    The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
     


The nine GIF founding members were joined by Switzerland in 2002, Euratom in 2003 and most recently by China and Russia at the end of 2006.

Reference