Developing of six nuclear reactor technologies for deployment between 2020 and 2030 called Generation IV.
Four are fast neutron reactors.
The Generation IV International Forum (GIF ) was initiated in 2000 and formally chartered in mid 2001. It is an international collective representing governments of 13 countries where nuclear energy is significant now and also seen as vital for the future. Most are committed to joint development of the next generation of nuclear technology. Led by the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, Russia, South Korea, South Africa, Switzerland, and the UK are charter members of the GIF, along with the EU (Euratom). Most of these are party to the Framework Agreement (FA) which formally commits them to participate in the development of one or more Generation IV systems selected by GIF for further R&D. Argentina and Brazil did not sign the FA, and the UK withdrew from it; accordingly, within the GIF, these three are designated as “inactive Members.” Russia formalized its accession to the FA in August 2009 as its tenth member, with Rosatom as implementing agent.
After some two years' deliberation, GIF (then representing ten countries) late in 2002 announced the selection of six reactor technologies which they believe represent the future shape of nuclear energy. These were selected on the basis of being clean, safe and cost-effective means of meeting increased energy demands on a sustainable basis, while being resistant to diversion of materials for weapons proliferation and secure from terrorist attacks. They are the subject of further development internationally, and expenditure so far is in line with the initial estimate of $6 billion over 15 years. About 80% of the cost is being met by the USA, Japan and France.
In addition to selecting these six concepts for deployment between 2010 and 2030, the GIF recognised a number of International Near-Term Deployment advanced reactors available before 2015. (see Advanced Reactors paper )
Most of the six systems employ a closed fuel cycle to maximise the resource base and minimise high-level wastes to be sent to a repository. Three of the six are fast neutron reactors (FNR) and one can be built as a fast reactor, one is described as epithermal, and only two operate with slow neutrons like today's plants.
Only one is cooled by light water, two are helium-cooled and the others have lead-bismuth, sodium or fluoride salt coolant. The latter three operate at low pressure, with significant safety advantage. The last has the uranium fuel dissolved in the circulating coolant. Temperatures range from 510°C to 1000°C, compared with less than 330°C for today's light water reactors, and this means that four of them can be used for thermochemical hydrogen production.
The sizes range from 150 to 1500 MWe (or equivalent thermal) , with the lead-cooled one optionally available as a 50-150 MWe "battery" with long core life (15-20 years without refuelling) as replaceable cassette or entire reactor module. This is designed for distributed generation or desalination.
At least four of the systems have significant operating experience already in most respects of their design, which provides a good basis for further R&D and is likely to mean that they can be in commercial operation well before 2030.
However, it is significant that to address non-proliferation concerns, the fast neutron reactors are not conventional fast breeders, ie they do not have a blanket assembly where plutonium-239 is produced. Instead, plutonium production takes place in the core, where burn-up is high and the proportion of plutonium isotopes other than Pu-239 remains high. In addition, new reprocessing technologies will enable the fuel to be recycled without separating the plutonium.
In February 2005 five of the participants signed an agreement to take forward the R&D on the six technologies. The USA, Canada, France, Japan and UK agreed to undertake joint research and exchange technical information.
While Russia was not initially part of GIF, one design corresponds with the BREST reactor being developed there, and Russia is now the main operator of the sodium-cooled fast reactor for electricity - another of the technologies put forward by the GIF.
India is also not involved with the GIF but is developing its own advanced technology to utilise thorium as a nuclear fuel. A three-stage program has the first stage well-established, with Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs, elsewhere known as CANDUs) fuelled by natural uranium to generate plutonium. Then Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) use this plutonium-based fuel to breed U-233 from thorium, and finally advanced nuclear power systems will use the U-233. The spent fuel will be reprocessed to recover fissile materials for recycling. The two major options for the third stage, while continuing with the PHWR and FBR programs, are an Advanced Heavy Water Reactor and subcritical Accelerator-Driven Systems.