International Workshop Held at BNL On Designs for Next-Generation Reactors

At a Gen IV Proliferation Resistance & Physical Protection Workshop hosted by BNL on July 8-9, some 30 international experts from six countries met to discuss new designs of nuclear reactors and their associated fuel cycles, proliferation resistance and physical protection.

Workshop participants

Gen IV Proliferation Resistance & Physical Protection Workshop participants

In the world of “Generation IV” nuclear reactor design, proliferation resistance and physical protection, known as PR&PP, are of key importance. Along with safety, economics, and waste management, PR&PP is one of the high-level goals for future nuclear energy systems being designed by member countries of the Generation IV International Forum. At a “Gen IV PR&PP Workshop” hosted by BNL on July 8-9, some 30 international experts from six countries met to discuss drafts of white papers on these topics that resulted from an initial PR&PP workshop held at BNL in May 2008. The white papers were developed jointly by members of the PR&PP working group and representatives of the Systems Steering Committees who are experts in the nuclear reactor field and represent the six futuristic designs being developed. Representatives of each committee were at both the July meeting and the May 2008 meeting.

At the recent workshop, participants reviewed and advanced current drafts of the white papers focusing on specific aspects of PR&PP, identified PR&PP issues deserving specific R&D efforts for each of the six designs, and identified crosscutting PR&PP issues relevant for various nuclear energy systems that could be investigated within joint studies by the various design groups.

Said Robert Bari of BNL’s Energy Sciences & Technology Department, who coordinated the workshop, “This workshop was an important advance for the six future reactor designs because it showed the designers how to incorporate PR&PP into their systems.”

2009-1370  |  INT/EXT  |  Newsroom