Gas‐Cooled Fast Reactor: A Historical Overview and Future Outlook

Abstract

A review is given of developments in the area of Gas‐Cooled Fast Reactors (GCFR) in the period from roughly 1960 until 1980. During that period, the GCFR concept was expected to increase the breeding gain, the thermal efficiency of a nuclear power plant, and alleviate some of the problems associated with liquid metal coolants. During this period, the GCFR concept was found to be more challenging than liquid‐metal‐cooled reactors, and none were ever constructed. In the second part of the paper, we provide an overview of the investigations on GCFR since the year 2000, when the Generation IV Initiative rekindled interest in this reactor type. The new GCFR concepts focus primarily on sustainable nuclear power, with very efficient resource use, minimum waste, and a very strong focus on (passive) safety. An overview is presented of the main design characteristics of these Gen IV GCFRs, and a literature list is provided to guide the interested reader towards more detailed publications.