Grand challenges in advanced nuclear reactor design

Since the successful operation of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, in 1942, nuclear energy has played a more and more important role in the world’s carbon-free energy supply despite several severe nuclear accidents including those at Three Mile Island (1979), Chernobyl (1986), and Fukushima (2011). At present, there are 441 nuclear power reactors in operation that provide approximately 15% of the world’s electricity supply. The average age of reactors in operation is more than 31 years. The total reactor years of operation of all the nuclear power reactors is 19,329. There are 53 nuclear power reactors under construction and 15 of them are in China. Considering climate change pressures and carbon-neutral targets, nuclear energy is still one of the most important alternative sources of energy. In the past two decades, significant research progress has been achieved but more technical demands and challenges are still needing to be solved. In the following part, the author will summarize the progress of technical research and challenges in advanced nuclear reactor design. The discussion is focused on the grand challenges of advanced Generation IV reactor design, small modular reactors, accident fault-tolerant fuel, nuclear reactor severe accident, and digital reactor technology.