Development of Novel-Fuels with Enhanced Safety Characteristics for Use in Nuclear Power Generation

许多新兴经济体正在考虑建设数百座新的核电站，为日益电气化的经济体（包括电动汽车的电力）提供电力，并抵消导致气候变化的排放。在北美，重点是延长现有发电站的使用寿命。无论新建或翻新计划如何，核电作为基本负荷发电机继续发挥重要作用，其碳排放量低于天然气甚至太阳能发电[来源：NRCAN 2015]。自2011年3月日本福岛核电站发生事故以来，核安全和减轻严重事故的主题一直主导着核工程领域的活动。为了在核安全方面做出革命性的改变，我们必须创新我们的核电技术。虽然下一代概念，如GEN-IV反应堆的设计已经为未来的新反应堆建设带来了实质性的变化，但它们无法改变现有核电站的基本特征，这些核电站可能还有30-60年的额外发电寿命。

Many emerging economies are considering construction of hundreds of new nuclear plants to supply electricity for increasingly electrified economies (including power for electric vehicles) and to offset climate changing emissions. In North America the focus is on life-extensions of existing power stations. Irrespective of new build or refurbishment plans nuclear power continues to play an important role as a base-load generator with carbon emissions rated below that of natural gas or even solar power [source: NRCAN 2015]. Since the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan in March 2011, the topic of nuclear safety and severe accident mitigation have dominated activity within the field of nuclear engineering. In order to make transformative changes in nuclear safety we must innovate our nuclear power technologies. While next-generation concepts such as GEN-IV reactor designs have given rise to substantive changes for future new-reactor builds, they cannot change the basic features of existing plants which may have 30-60 years of additional generation life.