RITM-200S RITM-200N RITM-200M RITM-400
61-420: RITM-200S: 198 MW th RITM-200N: 190 MW th RITM-200M: 198 MW th RITM-400: 315 MW th The RITM-200 is an integrated Generation III+ pressurized water reactor developed by OKBM Afrikantov and designed to produce 55 MWe. The design is an improvement of KLT-40S reactor. It uses up to 20% enriched uranium-235 and can be refueled every 10 years for
122-408: A nuclear renaissance suggesting that Gen III+ designs should solve three key problems: safety, cost and buildability. Construction costs of US$ 1,000/kW were forecast, a level that would make nuclear competitive with gas, and construction times of four years or less were expected. However, these estimates proved over-optimistic. A notable improvement of Gen III+ systems over second-generation designs
183-566: A 200-tonne core catcher in the VVER reactor as the first large piece of equipment in the reactor building of Rooppur 1 , describing it as "a unique protection system". In 2017, Rosatom has started commercial operations of the NVNPP-2 Unit 1 VVER-1200 reactor in central Russia, marking the world's first full start-up of a generation III+ reactor. The first Generation III reactors were built in Japan, in
244-692: A 60 year planned lifespan in floating power plant installation. If installed in a stationary power plant the fuel cycle is 6 years. The RITM-200 has a compact integrated layout placing equipment within the steam generator casing, halving system weight compared to earlier designs and improving ability to operate in rolling and pitching seas. It powers the Project 22220 icebreakers , the first of which went critical in October 2019. Since 2012, ten RITM‑200 reactors have been manufactured for five Russian Project 22220 multi-purpose nuclear icebreakers. Six reactors are installed on
305-401: A Generation IV reactor exists. The term refers to nuclear reactor technologies under development as of approximately 2000, and whose designs were intended to represent 'the future shape of nuclear energy', at least at that time. The six designs selected were: the gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR), the lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR), the molten salt reactor (MSR), the sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR),
366-411: A core with a graphite moderator . The fuel may be dispersed in a graphite matrix. These designs are more accurately termed an epithermal reactor than a thermal reactor due to the higher average speed of the neutrons that cause the fission events. MCSFR does away with the graphite moderator. They achieve criticality using a sufficient volume of salt and fissile material. They can consume much more of
427-749: A demonstration HTR-PM 200-MW high temperature pebble bed reactor as a successor to its HTR-10 . A molten salt reactor (MSR) is a type of reactor where the primary coolant or the fuel itself is a molten salt mixture. It operates at high temperature and low pressure. Molten salt can be used for thermal, epithermal and fast reactors. Since 2005 the focus has been on fast spectrum MSRs (MSFR). Other designs include integral molten salt reactors (e.g. IMSR) and molten chloride salt fast reactors (MCSFR). Early thermal spectrum concepts and many current ones rely on uranium tetrafluoride (UF 4 ) or thorium tetrafluoride (ThF 4 ), dissolved in molten fluoride salt. The fluid reaches criticality by flowing into
488-527: A design similar to Areva 's prismatic block Antares reactor to be deployed as a prototype by 2021. In January 2016, X-energy was provided a five-year grant of up to $ 40 million by the United States Department of Energy to advance their reactor development. The Xe-100 is a PBMR that would generate 80 MWe , or 320 MWe in a 'four-pack'. Since 2021, the Chinese government is operating
549-480: A large monolithic plant at 1,200 MW e . The fuel is metal or nitride-based containing fertile uranium and transuranics . The reactor is cooled by natural convection with a reactor outlet coolant temperature of 550-800 °C. The higher temperature enables the production of hydrogen by thermochemical processes . The European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative is funding a 100 MW t LFR, an accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor called MYRRHA . It
610-633: A license was given for a pilot RITM-200N plant to be built near the village of Ust-Kuiga, with commissioning planned for 2028. RITM‑200M reactors will also be installed on the floating power units to supply power to the Baimsky GOK mining site in Chukotka . They are planned to be put in operation in 2029. The volume of investments in the project was estimated at RUB900bn ($ 10bn). However, Georgy Fotin, Director General of Baimskaya Management Company, said in April, that
671-467: A manner that will provide a competitively priced and reliable supply of energy ... while satisfactorily addressing nuclear safety, waste, proliferation and public perception concerns." It coordinates the development of GEN IV technologies. It has been instrumental in coordinating research into the six types of Generation IV reactors, and in defining the scope and meaning of the term itself. As of 2021, active members include: Australia , Canada , China ,
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#1733106625890732-464: A thermal reactor. It uses supercritical water as the working fluid. SCWRs are basically light water reactors (LWR) operating at higher pressure and temperatures with a direct, once-through heat exchange cycle. As commonly envisioned, it would operate on a direct cycle, much like a boiling water reactor (BWR). Since it uses supercritical water (not to be confused with critical mass ) as the working fluid, it would have only one water phase. This makes
793-598: A whole are safer than older reactors. Edwin Lyman , a senior staff scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists , has challenged specific cost-saving design choices made for two Generation III reactors, both the AP1000 and ESBWR . Lyman, John Ma (a senior structural engineer at the NRC), and Arnold Gundersen (an anti-nuclear consultant) are concerned about what they perceive as weaknesses in
854-614: Is a pebble-bed type high-temperature gas-cooled reactor . It was connected to the grid in December 2023, making it the world's first Gen IV reactor to enter commercial operation. In 2024, it was reported that China would also build the world’s first thorium molten salt nuclear power station, scheduled to be operational by 2029. The Generation IV International Forum (GIF) is an international organization with its stated goal being "the development of concepts for one or more Generation IV systems that can be licensed, constructed, and operated in
915-507: Is a project of a pressurised water reactor with a planned capacity of 80 to 90 MW. The reactor is being developed by OKBM Afrikantov, a nuclear engineering company that is part of Rosatom. As of November 2023, Nornickel and Rosatom were considering the possibility of setting up low-capacity nuclear power plants to supply energy to the Norilsk Industrial District. A high-tech project of a low-capacity nuclear power plant based on
976-848: Is arbitrary, few Gen III reactors have reached the commercial stage as of 2022. The Generation IV International Forum calls Gen IV reactors "revolutionary designs". These are concepts for which no concrete prognoses for realization existed at the time. The improvements in reactor technology in third generation reactors are intended to result in a longer operational life (designed for 60 years of operation, extendable to 100+ years of operation prior to complete overhaul and reactor pressure vessel replacement) compared with currently used Generation II reactors (designed for 40 years of operation, extendable to 60+ years of operation prior to complete overhaul and pressure vessel replacement). The core damage frequencies for these reactors are designed to be lower than for Generation II reactors – 60 core damage events for
1037-489: Is being built at a cost of INR 5,677 crores (~US$ 900 million). After numerous delays, the government reported in March 2020 that the reactor might be operational in December 2021. The PFBR was to be followed by six more Commercial Fast Breeder Reactors (CFBRs) of 600 MW e each. The Gen IV SFR is a project that builds on the oxide fueled fast breeder reactor and the metal fueled integral fast reactor . Its goals are to increase
1098-441: Is below the consumption rate, thus reducing the nuclear storage problem , without the nuclear proliferation concerns and other technical issues associated with a fast reactor . The supercritical water reactor (SCWR) is a reduced moderation water reactor concept. Because the average speed of the fission-causing neutrons within the fuel is faster than thermal neutrons , it is more accurately termed an epithermal reactor than
1159-472: Is cooled by liquid sodium and fueled by a metallic alloy of uranium and plutonium or spent nuclear fuel , the nuclear waste of light water reactors . The SFR fuel is contained in steel cladding. Liquid sodium fills the space between the clad elements that make up the fuel assembly. One of the design challenges is the risks of handling sodium, which reacts explosively if it comes into contact with water. The use of liquid metal instead of water as coolant allows
1220-452: Is the VVER -1700/393 (VVER-SCWR or VVER-SKD) – a Russian SCWR with double-inlet-core and a breeding ratio of 0.95. A fast reactor directly uses fission neutrons without moderation. Fast reactors can be configured to "burn", or fission, all actinides , and given enough time, therefore drastically reduce the actinides fraction in spent nuclear fuel produced by the present world fleet of thermal neutron light water reactors , thus closing
1281-488: Is the incorporation in some designs of passive safety features that do not require active controls or operator intervention but instead rely on gravity or natural convection to mitigate the impact of abnormal events. Generation III+ reactors incorporate extra safety features to avoid the kind of disaster suffered at Fukushima in 2011. Generation III+ designs, passive safety, also known as passive cooling, requires no sustained operator action or electronic feedback to shut down
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#17331066258901342-646: Is to be built in Belgium with construction expected by 2036. A reduced-power model called Guinevere was started up at Mol in March 2009 and became operational in 2012. Two other lead-cooled fast reactors under development are the SVBR-100, a modular 100 MW e lead-bismuth cooled fast neutron reactor concept designed by OKB Gidropress in Russia and the BREST-OD-300 (Lead-cooled fast reactor) 300 MW e , to be developed after
1403-500: The Arktika , Sibir and Ural icebreakers, which are already in operation. Construction of the other two, Yakutia and Chukotka , is nearing completion. In November 2020 Rosatom announced plans to place a land-based RITM-200N SMR in isolated Ust-Kuyga town in Yakutia . The reactor will replace current coal and oil based electricity and heat generation at half the price. In April 2023,
1464-610: The EPR as the only new reactor design under consideration in the United States that "...appears to have the potential to be significantly safer and more secure against attack than today's reactors." There have also been issues in fabricating the precision parts necessary to maintain safe operation of these reactors, with cost overruns, broken parts, and extremely fine steel tolerances causing issues with new reactors under construction in France at
1525-692: The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), France , Japan , Russia , South Africa , South Korea , Switzerland , the United Kingdom and the United States . Non-active members include Argentina and Brazil . The Forum was initiated in January 2000 by the Office of Nuclear Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy ’s (DOE) "as a co-operative international endeavour seeking to develop
1586-735: The European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) and 3 core damage events for the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) per 100 million reactor-years are significantly lower than the 1,000 core damage events per 100 million reactor-years for BWR/4 Generation II reactors. The third generation EPR reactor was also designed to use uranium more efficiently than older Generation II reactors, using approximately 17% less per unit of electricity generated than these older reactor technologies. An independent analysis conducted by environmental scientist Barry Brook on
1647-637: The Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) reached criticality in October 1985. In September 2002, fuel burn up efficiency in the FBTR for the first time reached the 100,000 megawatt-days per metric ton uranium (MWd/MTU) mark. This is considered an important milestone in Indian breeder reactor technology. Using that experience, the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor , a 500 MWe Sodium cooled fast reactor
1708-763: The Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant . Generation IV reactor#Generation IV International Forum Generation IV ( Gen IV ) reactors are nuclear reactor design technologies that are envisioned as successors of generation III reactors . The Generation IV International Forum ( GIF ) – an international organization that coordinates the development of generation IV reactors – specifically selected six reactor technologies as candidates for generation IV reactors. The designs target improved safety, sustainability, efficiency, and cost. The World Nuclear Association in 2015 suggested that some might enter commercial operation before 2030. No precise definition of
1769-528: The Generation IV International Forum (GIF). The first Generation III reactors to begin operation were Kashiwazaki 6 and 7 advanced boiling water reactors (ABWRs) in 1996 and 1997. From 2012, both have been shut down due to a less permissive political environment in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident . Due to the prolonged period of stagnation in the construction of new reactors and
1830-839: The Taishan Nuclear Power Station (first grid connection on 2018-06-29) and a Westinghouse AP1000 reactor at the Sanmen Nuclear Power Station (first grid connection on 2018-06-30) in China. In the United States, reactor designs are certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). As of August 2020 , the commission has approved seven new designs, and is considering one more design as well as renewal of an expired certification. Proponents of nuclear power and some who have historically been critical have acknowledged that third generation reactors as
1891-426: The loop type Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor Monju at Tsuruga, Japan. Using lead or molten salt coolants mitigates this problem as they are less reactive and have a high freezing temperature and ambient pressure. Lead has much higher viscosity, much higher density, lower heat capacity, and more radioactive neutron activation products than sodium. Multiple proof of concept Gen IV designs have been built. For example,
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1952-676: The 1980s. The two largest experimental sodium cooled fast reactors are in Russia, the BN-600 and the BN-800 (880 MWe gross). These NPPs are being used to provide operating experience and technological solutions that will be applied to the construction of the BN-1200 ( OKBM Afrikantov first Gen IV reactor). The largest ever operated was the French Superphenix reactor at over 1200 MW e , successfully operating before decommissioning in 1996. In India,
2013-489: The 20 MW e EBR II operated for over thirty years at Idaho National Laboratory, but was shut down in 1994. GE Hitachi's PRISM reactor is a modernized and commercial implementation of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR), developed by Argonne National Laboratory between 1984 and 1994. The primary purpose of PRISM is burning up spent nuclear fuel from other reactors, rather than breeding new fuel. The design reduces
2074-454: The MSR is the possibility of a thermal spectrum nuclear waste-burner . Conventionally only fast spectrum reactors have been considered viable for utilization or reduction of the spent nuclear fuel . Thermal waste-burning was achieved by replacing a fraction of the uranium in the spent nuclear fuel with thorium . The net production rate of transuranic elements (e.g. plutonium and americium )
2135-587: The SVBR-100, it will dispense with the fertile blanket around the core and will supersede the sodium cooled BN-600 reactor design, to purportedly give enhanced proliferation resistance. Preparatory construction work commenced in May 2020. The GEN IV Forum reframes the reactor safety paradigm, from accepting that nuclear accidents can occur and should be mastered, to eliminating the physical possibility of an accident. Active and passive safety systems would be at least as effective as those of Generation III systems and render
2196-600: The assessment had been revised upwards and some RUB170bn had already been invested. The Baim project will be supplied with electricity using the new FNPPs of the PEB-106 project, designed for operation in the Far North and Far East. They will use the new RITM-200S reactors, which will supply 106 MWe to consumers. Their service life is 40 years and the interval between refuelling is five years. The units will be held in place by rigid mooring devices, which make it possible to compensate for
2257-524: The commercialisation phases are set. According to the GIF in 2013, "It will take at least two or three decades before the deployment of commercial Gen IV systems." Many reactor types were considered initially; the list was then refined to focus on the most promising technologies. Three systems are nominally thermal reactors and three are fast reactors . The very high temperature reactor (VHTR) potentially can provide high quality process heat. Fast reactors offer
2318-418: The continued (albeit declining) popularity of Generation II/II+ designs in new construction, relatively few third generation reactors have been built. The older Gen II reactors comprise the vast majority of current nuclear reactors. Gen III reactors are so-called advanced light-water reactors (LWRs). Gen III+ reactors are labeled as "evolutionary designs". Though the distinction between Gen II and III reactors
2379-403: The efficiency of uranium usage by breeding plutonium and eliminating transuranic isotopes. The reactor design uses an unmoderated core running on fast neutrons , designed to allow any transuranic isotope to be consumed (and in some cases used as fuel). SFR fuel expands when the reactor overheats, automatically slowing down the chain reaction, making it passively safe. One SFR reactor concept
2440-510: The efficient production of hydrogen and the synthesis of carbon-neutral fuels . The majority of reactors in operation around the world are considered second generation and third generation reactor systems, as the majority of the first generation systems have been retired. China was the first country to operate a demonstration generation-IV reactor, the HTR-PM in Shidaowan, Shandong , which
2501-516: The form of advanced boiling water reactors . On 5 August 2016, a Generation III+ VVER-1200 /392M reactor became operational (first grid connection) at Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant II in Russia, which was the first operational Generation III+ reactor. Several other Generation III+ reactors are under late-stage construction in Europe, China, India, and the United States. The next Generation III+ reactors to come online were an AREVA EPR reactor at
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2562-440: The fuel and leave only short-lived waste. Most MSR designs are derived from the 1960s Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE). Variants include the conceptual Dual fluid reactor that uses lead as a cooling medium with molten salt fuel, commonly a metal chloride, e.g. plutonium(III) chloride , to aid in greater closed-fuel cycle capabilities. Other notable approaches include the stable salt reactor (SSR) concept, which encases
2623-855: The fuel cycle. Alternatively, if configured differently, they can breed more actinide fuel than they consume. The gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR) features a fast-neutron spectrum and closed fuel cycle. The reactor is helium -cooled. Its outlet temperature is 850 °C. It moves the very-high-temperature reactor (VHTR) to a more sustainable fuel cycle. It uses a direct Brayton cycle gas turbine for high thermal efficiency. Several fuel forms are under consideration: composite ceramic fuel, advanced fuel particles, or ceramic-clad actinide compounds. Core configurations involve pin- or plate-based fuel assemblies or prismatic blocks. The European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative provided funding for three Generation IV reactor systems: Sodium-cooled fast reactors (SCFRs) have been operated in multiple countries since
2684-549: The fuel. The very-high-temperature reactor (VHTR) uses a graphite-moderated core with a once-through uranium fuel cycle, using helium or molten salt. This reactor design envisions an outlet temperature of 1,000°C. The reactor core can be either a prismatic-block or a pebble bed reactor design. The high temperatures enable applications such as process heat or hydrogen production via the thermochemical sulfur-iodine cycle process. In 2012, as part of its next generation nuclear plant competition, Idaho National Laboratory approved
2745-516: The greater efficiency and therefore lower material needs of Gen III reactors, corroborates this finding. Gen III+ reactor designs are an evolutionary development of Gen III reactors, offering improvements in safety over Gen III reactor designs. Manufacturers began development of Gen III+ systems in the 1990s by building on the operating experience of the American, Japanese, and Western European light-water reactor . The nuclear industry began to promote
2806-423: The half lives of the fissionable elements present in spent nuclear fuel while generating electricity largely as a byproduct. The lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) features a fast-neutron-spectrum lead or lead / bismuth eutectic ( LBE ) coolant with a closed fuel cycle . Proposals include a small 50 to 150 MW e that features a long refueling interval, a modular system rated at 300 to 400 MW e , and
2867-488: The heat exchange method more similar to a pressurized water reactor ( PWR ). It could operate at much higher temperatures than both current PWRs and BWRs. Supercritical water-cooled reactors (SCWRs) offer high thermal efficiency (i.e., about 45% vs. about 33% efficiency for current LWRs) and considerable simplification. The mission of the SCWR is generation of low-cost electricity . It is built upon two proven technologies, LWRs,
2928-674: The latest RITM-400 reactor unit may be considered as a priority. This article about nuclear power and nuclear reactors for power generation is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Generation III%2B reactor Generation III reactors , or Gen III reactors , are a class of nuclear reactors designed to succeed Generation II reactors, incorporating evolutionary improvements in design. These include improved fuel technology , higher thermal efficiency , significantly enhanced safety systems (including passive nuclear safety ), and standardized designs intended to reduce maintenance and capital costs. They are promoted by
2989-456: The molten salt in the well-established fuel rods of conventional reactors. This latter design was found to be the most competitive by consultancy firm Energy Process Development in 2015. Another design under development is TerraPower 's molten chloride fast reactor. This concept mixes the liquid natural uranium and molten chloride coolant in the reactor core, reaching very high temperatures at atmospheric pressure. Another notable feature of
3050-500: The most commonly deployed power generating reactors, and superheated fossil fuel fired boilers , also in wide use. 32 organizations in 13 countries are investigating the concept. SCWRs share the steam explosion and radioactive steam release hazards of BWRs and LWRs as well as the need for extremely expensive heavy duty pressure vessels, pipes, valves, and pumps. These shared problems are inherently more severe for SCWRs due to their higher temperatures. One SCWR design under development
3111-447: The most severe accidents physically impossible. Relative to Gen II-III, advantages of Gen IV reactors include: A specific risk of the SFR is related to using metallic sodium as a coolant. In case of a breach, sodium explosively reacts with water. Argon is used to prevent sodium oxidation. Argon can displace oxygen in the air and can pose hypoxia concerns for workers. This was a factor at
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#17331066258903172-516: The movement of the power units from the ebb and flow. The power generated by the power unit is transmitted to the shore using 50 high-voltage cables. Three main floating power units and one reserve unit will be installed, which will be used during the repair of the main units. On May 27, 2024, Rosatom signed a contract to construct a 330 MW nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan's Jizzakh Region, featuring six 55 MWe RITM-200N small modular reactors. RITM-400
3233-581: The next decade was published in January 2014. In May 2019, Terrestrial Energy , the Canadian developer of a molten salt reactor, became the first private company to join GIF. At the Forum's October 2021 meeting, the Forum members agreed to create a task force on non-electric applications of nuclear heat, including district and industrial heat applications, desalination and large-scale hydrogen production. The GIF Forum has introduced development timelines for each of
3294-464: The plant safely in the event of an emergency. Many of the Generation III+ nuclear reactors have a core catcher . If the fuel cladding and reactor vessel systems and associated piping become molten, corium will fall into a core catcher which holds the molten material and has the ability to cool it. This, in turn protects the final barrier, the containment building . As an example, Rosatom installed
3355-451: The possibility of burning actinides to further reduce waste and can breed more fuel than they consume. These systems offer significant advances in sustainability, safety and reliability, economics, proliferation resistance, and physical protection. A thermal reactor is a nuclear reactor that uses slow or thermal neutrons . A neutron moderator is used to slow the neutrons emitted by fission to make them more likely to be captured by
3416-518: The reactors at Fort St. Vrain Generating Station and HTR-10 are similar to the proposed Gen IV VHTR designs, and the pool type EBR-II , Phénix , BN-600 and BN-800 reactor are similar to the proposed pool type Gen IV SFR designs. Nuclear engineer David Lochbaum cautions, "the problem with new reactors and accidents is twofold: scenarios arise that are impossible to plan for in simulations; and humans make mistakes". As one director of
3477-444: The research necessary to test the feasibility and performance of fourth generation nuclear systems, and to make them available for industrial deployment by 2030." It was established in 2001, aiming at availability for industrial deployment by 2030. In November 2013, a brief overview of the reactor designs and activities by each forum member was made available. An update of the technology roadmap which details R&D objectives for
3538-463: The six systems. Research and development is divided into three phases: In 2000, GIF stated, "After the performance phase is complete for each system, at least six years and several US$ billion will be required for detailed design and construction of a demonstration system." In the Roadmap update of 2013, the performance and demonstration phases were considerably shifted to later dates, while no targets for
3599-455: The steel containment vessel and the concrete shield building around the AP1000 in that its containment vessel does not have sufficient safety margins in the event of a direct airplane strike. Other engineers do not agree with these concerns, and claim the containment building is more than sufficient in safety margins and factors of safety . The Union of Concerned Scientists in 2008 referred to
3660-543: The supercritical-water-cooled reactor (SCWR) and the very high-temperature reactor (VHTR). The sodium fast reactor has received the greatest share of funding that supports demonstration facilities. Moir and Teller consider the molten-salt reactor , a less developed technology, as potentially having the greatest inherent safety of the six models. The very-high-temperature reactor designs operate at much higher temperatures than prior generations. This allows for high temperature electrolysis or for sulfur–iodine cycle for
3721-546: The system to work at atmospheric pressure, reducing the risk of leakage. The European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative funded three Generation IV reactor systems. Advanced Sodium Technical Reactor for Industrial Demonstration ( ASTRID ) was a sodium-cooled fast reactor, that was cancelled in August 2019. Numerous progenitors of the Gen IV SFR exist. The 400 MW t Fast Flux Test Facility operated for ten years at Hanford;
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