Page 193 - Managing Global Warming

Current and future nuclear power reactors and plants 155

Fig. 4.31 Gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR): Helium-gas-cooled, fast-neutron-spectrum reactor
with closed fuel cycle and outlet temperature about 850°C (shown with direct gas-turbine
Brayton power cycle).
Courtesy of Generation IV International Forum.

feasible, on technologies developed for the VHTR for structures, materials, compo-
nents, and power conversion system. Nevertheless, it calls for specific R&D beyond
the current and foreseen work on the VHTR system, mainly on core design and safety
approach.
The reference design for GFR is based around a 2400-MW th reactor core contained
within a steel pressure vessel. The core consists of an assembly of hexagonal fuel ele-
ments, each consisting of ceramic clad, mixed-carbide-fuelled pins contained within a
ceramic hex tube. The favored material at the moment for the pin clad and hex tubes is
silicon-carbide-fiber-reinforced silicon carbide.