Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection White Papers of the Six GIF Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems and Crosscutting Topics: 2021-2022 Update

Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection (PR&PP) are core goals of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). The GIF is an international endeavor seeking to develop the research necessary to test the feasibility and performance of Generation IV nuclear systems. The PR&PP Working Group within GIF performed an update of the PR&PP White Papers on the six GIF design concepts: Gas Fast Reactor, Lead Fast Reactor, Molten Salt Reactor (liquid fuel and solid fuel designs), Super-Critical Water Reactor (vessel and pressure-tube designs), Sodium Fast Reactor (loop and pool designs), and Very High Temperature Reactor (pebble and block designs). For each design option the PR&PP white papers identified the relevant system elements with respect to potential adversary targets and applicable safeguards and physical protection approaches. The study then proceeded to assess the design against potential threats using the technical design information to gauge the response of the system. PR threats include concealed diversion or production of material, the use of the system in a breakout strategy, and replication of the technology in clandestine facilities. Physical protection threats include theft of material for a nuclear explosives or dispersal device and radiological sabotage. These studies, performed in collaboration with the six GIF System Steering Committees, help to elucidate technical features of each reactor system that make it a very unattractive and the least desirable route for diversion or theft of weapons-usable materials and provide increased physical protection against acts of terrorism. The work has culminated in publicly available updates to the original 2011 white papers on the six GIF reactor technologies which are being finalized through 2021 and 2022. A companion crosscutting document is being developed which addresses PR&PP aspects that crosscut all GIF systems. The paper provides an overview of the key recommendations for each of the six designs as well as key recommendations from the crosscut document.

CIPITI B.;  CHENG L.;  RENDA Guido;  COJAZZI Giacomo;  BOYER B;  VAN DER ENDE Bryan;  EDWARDS G.W.R.;  HESKETH K.;  NGUYEN F.;  HERVIEU E.;  HORI Keiichiro;  SHIBA T.; 

2025-09-25

IAEA

JRC132423

https://files.superevent.com/documents/20221030/ad0584a9cfd355f5a01a90308d0a38a9/id-117-cipiti.pdf?Expires=1758524378&Signature=RsmrV-39VyKvQqHgfUHgICcespxbTTrNC9NUpUuAXtEkUGWROx~yGENFGJOwZEG40afbbmhzeoZYUTlC7vTiBa8f8YJP9FyTHExT9GNpQtEIl~-1Gnl2MClPGLnDQItWDWO-3hCctvv~F8LkQZW4bohesjKRb~KQqom-H2rgchvEw7DBDrmotY6rn5VATBs1IS6H1MPuEd3JuanyXkPHqtR05anz0UZn3zxZcz1AJ2bqRSmgZTRgXwDKqJcFvjlaNeBob-U8u426xHMvaWhjOeXaC1jozsfuUZ3UcuL8dNOrWoSDSxZ3wIAD9wXEFuYXYzGCSAyka~Y6qqguGVv0fQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K3RHGT9XSX733E,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC132423,