ANSTO hosted an international meeting of Expert and Policy group members for Generation IV Forum (GIF), which was established in 2001.
GIF was created as a co-operative international (13 countries & EU) endeavour seeking to develop the research necessary to test the feasibility and performance of energy-generating Generation IV nuclear systems and to make them available for industrial deployment by 2030.
The meeting was hosted by the ANSTO’s ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Director for Australian Generation IV Research Prof Lyndon Edwards. Prof Edwards and Prof Andrew Peele are members of the GIF governing policy group.
Under the auspices of GIF, ANSTO on behalf of Australia is contributing to the Molten Salt Reactor (MSR), and Very High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR) programs. These reactor systems have been identified as having a high potential for short- and medium-term deployment periods and, for this reason, are being considered viable alternatives to conventional coal power plants.
ANSTO’s research is focused on developing an understanding of the performance and degradation of structural materials, such as alloys, ceramics, and composites, in the extreme operating conditions of these novel reactor systems. This work is led by the ANSTO’s program.
ANSTO is utilising its state-of-the-art research infrastructure to investigate the multi-scale behaviour of materials during molten salt corrosion, high-energy particle flux (radiation), and high-temperature exposure.
ANSTO’s research is of technological importance in order to ensure the safe and reliable operation as well as maintenance of these novel reactor systems.
