DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY’S NUCLEAR ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA: MOVING FORWARD ON GENERATION IV REACTOR DESIGNS

摘要

Nuclear power will be needed for future energy demands, which are expected to grow at differentrnrates around the world. The opportunities for building new nuclear power plants around thernworld will depend on need, energy demand growth, and issues related to global warming andrnclimate change. However, there are four major barriers to the expansion of nuclear power:rneconomics, proliferation, safety, and waste. These issues must be addressed in the ongoingrnresearch and development of nuclear energy technology and applications. The evolution ofrnnuclear power plant technology is presented as four distinct design generations: (1) prototypes,rn(2) current operating plants, (3) advanced light water reactor technology, and (4) revolutionaryrndesign concepts (i.e., Generation IV) that are now under development. The DOE Office ofrnNuclear Energy Science and Technology is sponsoring research with the Electric Power ResearchrnInstitute that will address reliability, capacity, availability and life-extension issues for therncurrently operating power plants. The U.S. DOE Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI)rnprogram is focused on the research and development of Generation IV designs that are safe,rneconomic, proliferation-resistant, and will address current waste issues. NERI provides grantsrnfor independently peer-reviewed proposals from universities, national laboratories and industryrnfor advanced nuclear research and development. Several NERI projects awarded in 1999 arerndescribed in terms of how they remove barriers to nuclear power plant expansion. Under thernUniversity Program’s grants to nuclear engineering departments and programs, several researchrnproposals have been funded that address basic nuclear science and engineering needs for currentrnplants and Generation IV. Finally, the need for international collaboration for fourth-generationrnnuclear power technology development will be stressed, with particular reference tornproliferation-resistant fuel designs and innovative reactor concepts.