1. Introduction to Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems
Dr. Ralph Bennett, Technical Director, Generation IV International Forum, and
Director, International and Regional Partnerships, Idaho National Laboratory
16 Mar 2009

2. The Problem of Climate Change
Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have grown since pre-industrial times, increasing 70% between 1970 and 2004
With current climate change mitigation policies and practices, global GHG emissions will continue to grow
The Earth is about to undergo long lasting changes in its climate, seas and land cover, including
Temperature
Precipitation
Sea level
Ocean circulation
Ice/snow cover
Storm frequency
Storm intensity
Desertification
Global Warming (deg C) by 2100 (IPCC prediction)

3. The Challenge for Nuclear Energy
Nuclear is a major contributor in the WEO Policy Scenario—about 250 GWe more generation by 2030 (an 80% increase from today)
Nuclear energy systems must continue their advances in order to unlock a potential on this scale
The problem of climate change has brought many good ideas about how to address it.
But the path the world is on with carbon emissions is so challenging, that many large-scale solutions will need to be successful.
As the figures show, just the leveling out or ‘stabilization’ of emissions at 550 ppm CO2 requires the avoidance of 18 billion tonnes CO2 per year by 2030.
Stabilization at 450 ppm requires dramatic action in efficiency, renewable, carbon capture and sequestration, and nuclear power—nuclear would need to increase by 80% in this scenario provided by the International Energy Agency (WEO 2008)
Generation IV aims to provide this dramatic a solution, and more, with nuclear power plants that are more sustainable than today’s

4. Generations of Nuclear Energy
Generation IV
Revolutionary
Designs
Generation III+
Generation III
Evolutionary Designs
Commercial Power
Generation II
PWRs
BWRs
CANDU
Early Prototypes
Generation I
Shippingport
Dresden
Magnox
Advanced LWRs
Safe
Sustainable
Economical
Proliferation Resistant and Physically Secure
ABWR
ACR1000
AP1000
APWR
EPR
ESBWR
CANDU 6
System 80+
AP600
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
Gen I
Gen II
Gen III
Gen III+
Gen IV

5. Creation of the International Forum
Started in Jan 2000 by nine countries and established Jul 2001
Agreed that nuclear energy is needed to meet future needs
Defined four goal areas to advance nuclear energy into its next, ‘fourth’ generation:
Sustainability
Safety & reliability
Economics
Proliferation resistance and physical protection
Will collaborate to make ‘Generation IV’ systems deployable in large numbers by 2030, or earlier

6. Today’s Membership

7. Overview of the Generation IV Systems
Neutron Spectrum
Fuel
Cycle
Size (MWe)
Missions
R&D Needed
Sodium Cooled Fast Reactor (SFR)
Fast
Closed
Electricity, Actinide Management
Advanced recycle options, Fuels
Very-High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR)
Thermal
Open
250
Electricity, Hydrogen, Process Heat
Fuels, Materials,
H2 production
Gas-Cooled Fast
Reactor (GFR)
1200
Electricity, Hydrogen,
Actinide Management
Thermal-hydraulics
Supercritical-Water Reactor (SCWR)
Thermal,
Open,
1500
Electricity
Materials, Thermal-hydraulics
Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor (LFR)
50-150
Electricity,
Hydrogen Production
Fuels, Materials
Molten Salt Reactor
(MSR)
Epithermal or Fast
1000
Electricity, Hydrogen Production, Actinide Management
Fuel treatment, Materials, Reliability

8. Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (SFR)
Characteristics
Sodium coolant, pool or loop type
550C outlet temperature
MWe large size, or
MWe intermediate size
50 MWe small module option
Metal fuel with pyroprocessing or MOX fuel with advanced aqueous separation
Benefits
High thermal efficiency
Consumption of LWR actinides
Efficient fissile material generation

9. Intermediate-scale Pool
SFR Reactor Options
Large-scale Loop
Intermediate-scale Pool
Small-scale Modular

10. SFR Technology Interests
Minor actinide bearing fuel technology (fabrication, irradiation)
Metal and oxide fuel performance
Carbide fuel performance
Nitride/Carbide fuel performance
Inspection & repair technologies
Ultrasonic and alternative techniques
Replace/repair experience
High temperature leak-before-break assessment technologies
Creep-fatigue crack initiation and growth test results
Advanced energy conversion concepts
Basic design concept of supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle system
Compact supercritical CO2-to-CO2 heat exchangers

11. Very-High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR)
Characteristics
He coolant
>900C outlet temperature
250 MWe
Coated particle fuel in either pebble bed or prismatic fuel
Benefits
Hydrogen production
Process heat applications
High degree of passive safety
High thermal efficiency option

12. VHTR Reactor Options
Pebble bed core
Prismatic-fuel core

13. High temperature electrolysis
VHTR Hydrogen Options
Sulfur-iodine cycle
High temperature electrolysis

14. VHTR Technology Interests
Fuel and fuel cycle
Particle fuel irradiations and fission product monitoring
Materials
Codes and standards extension
Materials database extension
Graphite dust behavior
Hydrogen production
Sulfur-iodine cycle
High temperature electrolysis
Coupling of H2 production process and reactor heat transport system
Tritium transport
Computational Methods
Components and helium turbine
Intermediate heat exchanger

15. Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor (LFR)
Characteristics
Pb or Pb/Bi coolant
550C to 800C outlet temperature
Small transportable system MWe, and
Larger station MWe
15–30 year core life option
Benefits
Distributed electricity generation
Hydrogen and potable water
Replaceable core for regional fuel processing
High degree of passive safety
Proliferation resistance through long-life core

16. LFR Reactor Options Small, transportable module
Large, stationary plant
Pb coolant (both)
No intermediate loops

17. LFR Technology Interests
Collaborations based on ELSY and SSTAR
No formal agreement yet
Conceptual design and safety
Innovative components and design
Compact, in-vessel steam generators
Decay heat removal by air and water
Refueling ‘out-of-Pb’ coolant
Innovative structural design
Buoyant fuel element support
Seismic isolation of reactor building
Fuel and core materials
Many options
ELSY: European Lead-cooled System; SSTAR: Small Secure Transportable Autonomous Reactor

18. Supercritical-Water-Cooled Reactor (SCWR)
Characteristics
Water coolant above supercritical conditions (374C, 22.1 MPa)
C outlet temperature
1500 MWe
Pressure tube or pressure vessel options
Simplified balance of plant
Benefits
Efficiency near 45% with excellent economics
Leverages the current experience in operating fossil-fueled supercritical steam plants
Configurable as a fast- or thermal-spectrum core

19. Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GFR)
Characteristics
He coolant
850C outlet temperature
Direct gas-turbine cycle or supercritical CO2 cycle with optional combined cycles
2400 MWth / 1100 MWe
Several fuel options
Carbide in plates or pins
Nitride
Oxide
Benefits
High efficiency
Waste minimization and efficient use of uranium resources

20. Molten Salt Reactor (MSR)
Characteristics
Fuel is liquid fluorides of U or Th with Li, Be, Na and other fluorides
700–800C outlet temperature
1000 MWe
Low pressure (<0.5 MPa)
Benefits
Waste minimization
Avoids fuel development
Proliferation resistance through low fissile material inventory

21. Organization Policy Group Chair (France) Experts Group
System Steering Committees
Co-Chairs
Project Management Boards
(multiple R&D projects)
Methodology Working Groups
Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection, Risk & Safety, Economics
Policy Secretariat
Policy Technical
Director Director
NEA, Paris
Technical Secretariat
Experts Group
Senior Industry
Advisory Panel

22. System Partners  VHTR GFR SFR SCWR LFR MSR
Mar 2009
Partners: NRCan JRC CEA JAEA, MEST, PSI DOE CAEA, DME
ANRE KOSEF MOST 
VHTR
GFR
SFR
LFR
MSR
SCWR
ANRE – Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (JP)
CAEA – China Atomic Energy Authority (CN)
CEA – Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (FR)
DME – Department of Minerals and Energy (ZA)
DOE – Department of Energy (US)
JAEA – Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JP)
JRC – Joint Research Centre (EU)
KOSEF – Korean Science and Engineering Foundation (KR)
MEST – Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (KR)
MOST – Ministry of Science and Technology (CN)
NRCan – Natural Resources Canada (CA)
PSI – Paul Scherrer Institute (CH)
VHTR – Very-High-Temperature Reactor
GFR – Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor
SFR – Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor
SCWR – Supercritical Water-Cooled Reactor
LFR – Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor
MSR – Molten Salt Reactor

23. Generation IV Annual Report
Captures key information and accomplishments from System Steering Committee annual reports into one widely distributed report
Captures brief summaries of working groups’ accomplishments, and background on the Forum
Audience includes:
World-wide Research and Development Community
Governments sponsoring Generation IV R&D
GIF committees, boards and working groups
The 2008 Report has just issued

24. Working Toward the Future
The GIF joined together to help assure a sustainable energy future
Underscored by the advance of global climate change
Based on advanced nuclear energy systems that are sustainable, safe, economical, proliferation resistant and physically secure
Accelerated by the collaboration of the GIF members, industry, academia and non-member nations and institutions

25. Bibliography
The web links provided on most slides lead to source documents, background materials or updates
The full Generation IV Roadmap and all supporting documents are available at:
Some technical papers are listed on the OECD NEA website (GIF website) at within each system
Recent outlook articles on nuclear deployment:
IEA (subscription)
NEA (subscription)
IAEA
WNA
EPRI (US R&D strategy and deployment outlook, respectively)
My contact information: