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GEN-IV Reactors

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Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology

Definition of the Subject

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...

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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

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA

    Taek K. Kim

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  1. Taek K. Kim
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Correspondence to Taek K. Kim .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. RAMTECH LIMITED, Larkspur, CA, USA

    Robert A. Meyers

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Kim, T.K. (2012). GEN-IV Reactors . In: Meyers, R.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_30

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