Gas-cooled Fast Reactors GIF System Steering Committee
The Gas-cooled Fast Reactor System Steering Committee (GFR SSC) was formed following the signing of the GFR System Arrangement in 2006. Currently, three members of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) are engaged in the activities of the GFR SSC. This committee supervises two projects encompassing a wide array of subjects pertaining to Gas-cooled Fast Reactors. The common type of coolant and operating temperature range does make several topics common to GFR and Very High Temperature Reactors (VHTR), yet due to its different spectrum and different core layout it still requires dedicated R&D tracks to solve GFR specific challenges.
Activities and Membership of the Gas Fast Reactors GIF System Steering Committee
GIF GFR SSC gathers three GIF Members. It oversees two R&D cooperation projects. Switzerland was a member of the GFR SSC from 2006 to 2015.
GFR Projects
| Project Arrangement | Project Description | Effective Date | SIGNATORIES
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Conceptual Design and Safety (CDS) |
| 2009 | JRC (EU) |
| Fuel and Core Materials (FCM) |
| 2015 | JRC (EU) |
If you want to learn more about the Gas cooled Fast Reactor technology head to the GFR System description page. If you want to learn more about the latest outcomes and international efforts carried out under the GIF GFR SSC please refer to the latest GIF Annual Report.
GFR SSC Leadership & Technical Secretariat
Mr
Petr VACHA
Petr Vácha, head of the Advanced Reactor R&D in UJV Rez, Czech Republic, has over 10 years of experience in design and safety assessment of gas-cooled fast reactor technology, currently leading a team of almost 30 scientists and engineers, and being the lead designer of the HeFASTo GFR concept. He is one of the core members of the Generation IV International Forum’s GFR System Steering Committee for many years. Mr. Vácha holds BSc and MSc degrees in nuclear reactors and energetics from Czech Technical University in Prague. During his time at UJV Rez, he has established technical expertise in fast reactor design, thermal-hydraulics of gas-cooled systems, and severe accident prevention and mitigation in GFRs.
Mr
Brent WILHELM
Brent Wilhelm is a Nuclear Energy Analyst in the Division of Nuclear Technology and Economics within the Nuclear Energy Agency. Brent also serves the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) as Technical Secretary to support international R&D efforts on advanced gas-cooled reactor technologies, and the use of nuclear energy for non-electric applications.
Prior to this role, Brent worked for the Government of Canada as a Nuclear Science and Technology Advisor with Natural Resources Canada, where he informed analysis on nuclear energy technologies in support of Canada’s strategic policies. He has also worked at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Bell Canada, and GreenBug Energy, where he gained practical experience in clean energy technology development and the management of infrastructure implementation projects.
Brent received both a MSc and BSc in Physics from the University of Guelph where he specialized in nuclear energy and planetary bulk geochemistry.