Nuclear

THE BIG PICTURE: Generation IV designs

A “who’s doing what” addendum to "THE BIG PICTURE: Advanced Fission" in our November 2012 issue.

The 13 country members of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) are exploring six advanced nuclear technologies and hope they will be available for wide-scale deployment between 2020 and 2030: gas-cooled fast reactors (GFRs), lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs), molten salt reactors (MSRs), sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), supercritical water–cooled reactors (SCWRs), and very high temperature reactors (VHTRs).

Among prominent projects under development, the U.S. Idaho National Lab is sponsoring development of a VHTR, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. is actively developing a CANDU SCWR, China continues to invest in research for a Chinese SCWR, and Russia is pursuing SCWR design (WWER-SC).

See also:
Water-Cooled Reactors
Fast-Neutron Systems
Gas-Cooled Reactors
Small and Medium-Sized Reactors

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