Research and Technology Breakthroughs in Nuclear Power for Shaping a Sustainable Low-Carbon Energy Future

Research for nuclear energy features high costs and long lead times as it makes use of materials testing reactors and hot laboratories, and is submitted to stringent safety regulations. These specific requirements have much contributed to make nuclear reactors evolving in an evolutionary manner. This is evidenced by currently commercialized generation III light water reactors (LWRs) that mainly rely on today's operating reactors' technologies engineered in such a way as to optimizing their safety and economic performance. Globalization of research and development together with enhanced capabilities for science driven research allowed by more and more refined characterization and numerical simulation techniques create conditions today for achieving real breakthroughs in technologies and processes, as well as in design and safety studies of nuclear systems. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Indra Gandhi Centre of Atomic Research