Gas-cooled fast reactors

Abstract

The gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR) represents an alternative to the sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) described throughout this book or the lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) described in Chapter 18. Although many parts of the book are relevant to all fast reactors (e.g., neutronic techniques), the use of a gaseous coolant in the GFR results in certain design and safety considerations that are fundamentally different from other fast reactor systems. This chapter addresses such differences, is focused on historical and modern GFR design features, and provides a review of relevant GFR design considerations, especially as they pertain to safety. Designs for a gas-cooled fast reactor, originally referred to as the GCFR, were developed in the United States and Europe as an alternative to liquid metal reactors during the 1960s through 1980s. The concept was revisited in 2002 through the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) assessment, and the acronym was changed to GFR. However, some of the design goals and subsequent design choices within the GIF were much different than those pursued for the GCFR.