Small fast spectrum reactor designs suitable for direct. For this problem, two different boundary conditions were attempted to model an assembly in a reactor, namely full mirror and radial mirror boundary conditions. In this paper, two fast reactor systems are discussed the sodiumcooled fast reactor, which has already been built and can be further improved, and the leadcooled fast reactor that could be developed relatively soon. With fast reactors we can generate 4000 years of electricity and other energy forms using a small refinement of 1970s technology.
Though restricted to one dimension, the code can handle both pin cells of. Fast reactor sfr system features a fastspectrum, sodiumcooled reactor and a closed fuel cycle for efficient management of actinides and conversion of fertile uranium. Fanning1 1argonne national laboratory, argonne, illinois, usa email contact of main author. Fusion reactors, which seek to generate energy by joining small atomic nuclei, as. Using currently known uranium resources, fast reactors operating in a closed fuel cycle would be able to provide energy for thousands of years as well as easing concerns about waste, says stefano monti, team leader for the iaeas fast reactor technology development section in the department of nuclear energy. Provides an authoritative overview of fast spectrum reactors and their. The boundary conditions placed on a system can have dramatic effects on the results. Fast spectrum reactors presents a detailed overview of worldwide technology contributing to the development of fast spectrum reactors. Generation iv fast reactors university of cambridge. For thermal reactors c fast spectrum reactors chapter 4. Ithe gfr is optimized to be compatible with the gen iv closed fuel cycle full use of uranium resources wastes minimization integral actinide recycling strong impact on core design, fuel and fuel cycle. Fast neutron reactors several countries have research and development programs for improved fast breeder reactors fbr, which are a type of fast neutron reactor. Jul 01, 2012 both graphite and refractory metal alloy fuel types were pursued.
Another fuel option is metal alloys, typically a blend of uranium, plutonium, and. Fast neutron reactors, fast reactors, fast breeder reactors, the potential role of fast reactors in more fuller utilising the worlds uranium resource. The gfr system is a hightemperature heliumcooled fast spectrum reactor with a closed fuel cycle. They were also the first nonpower uraniumfueled reactors to operate with a fast neutron spectrum and to achieve criticality solely using prompt neutrons. The integral fast reactor ifr, originally advanced liquidmetal reactor is a design for a nuclear reactor using fast neutrons and no neutron moderator a fast reactor. Fast spectrum reactors a design approach for the longer term is the fast spectrum or highenergy neutron reactor. As joining clad tubes is technically challenging, and the heat exchanger likely will. Schnitzler1 idaho national laboratory, idaho falls, idaho 83415 and stanley k. Pu239 nucleus, it may be possible to combine the chain reaction and the breeding cycle. Small fast spectrum reactor designs suitable for direct nuclear thermal propulsion bruce g. Fast reactors provide sustainable nuclear power for. Garwin waste disposal is not a good role for fast reactors.
Characterization of a fast to thermal neutron spectrum. Decommissioning of fast reactors after sodium draining. It combines the advantages of fast spectrum systems for longterm sustainability of uranium resources and waste minimisation through fuel multiple reprocessing and fission of longlived actinides, with those of hightemperature systems high thermal cycle efficiency and industrial use of the. Advanced safeguards approaches for new fast reactors. Fast reactors are better at it than thermal reactors the measure of how good a reactor is at breeding is the conversion ratio or exactly the same thing the breeding ratio, c c number of fissile items created number of fissile atoms consumed. Some general comments can be made about sensitivity analysis in fast spectrum systems. Gamma source preparation and dif3d flux solution m. Fast neutron reactors fbr world nuclear association. The fast neutron spectrum allows fast reactors to increase the energy yield from natural uranium by a factor of sixty to seventy compared to thermal reactors, granting therefore realization of nuclear power programmes for thousands of years, as well as a signi. A sodiumcooled fast reactor is a fast neutron reactor cooled by liquid sodium the acronym sfr particularly refers to two generation iv reactor proposals, one based on existing lmfr technology using mox fuel, the other based on the metalfueled integral fast reactor. A fast neutron reactor fnr or simply a fast reactor is a category of nuclear reactor in which the fission chain reaction is sustained by fast neutrons carrying energies above 0.
The reactor is used as a fast neutron spectrum source and is operated in delayed critical state with a continuous and steady power for several hours, which can vary from 3 mw to 3 kw, which is the. Research on the onthefly homogenization method based on. Richard stainsby, chief technologist, uk national nuclear laboratories pre. May 25, 2015 day 2 generation iv fast reactors and the reuse of longlived nuclear waste dr. Fast reactors and related fuel cycles publications iaea. A fast neutron reactor is a nuclear reactor in which the fission chain reaction is sustained by fast neutrons. Hill i anlne1650 summary nuclear reactors that rely upon the fission reaction have two modes of. In the short term there is little difference between various reactor types as short lived fission. Fast spectrum molten salt reactor options info oak ridge. View on generation iv fast neutron reactor systems and small.
Appendix a fast reactor data pavel tsvetkov and alan waltar this appendix summarizes principal design data for fast spectrum reactors being developed, designed and constructed wor. In fast reactors, average energy of neutrons is high. Ifr would breed more fuel and is distinguished by a nuclear fuel cycle that uses reprocessing via electrorefining at the reactor site. Fbrs are considered nonpower reactors even though the peak power level in a pulse can be as high as 100,000 mw. This chapter addresses the timedependent behaviour of nuclear reactors. Fast spectrum nuclear reactors with recycle significantly enhance the sustainability indices. When it became clear in the 1980s that this was not load next article. Fastspectrum reactors large variations are observed in the estimated cost of commercial fast reactor systems. A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile material than it consumes. That means the neutron moderator slowing down in such reactors is undesirable. Technology assessments background and current status from the initial conception of nuclear energy, it was recognized that full realization of the energy content of uranium would require the development of fast reactors with associated nuclear fuel cycles. This design focused on joining the experience gained in the u. Fast spectrum reactor fuel assembly sensitivity analysis. The code solves the integral transport equation with isotropie scattering by a collision probability formalism.
Preliminary considerations for fastspectrum, liquidmetal. Preliminary considerations for fastspectrum, liquidmetal cooled nuclear reactor program for spacepower applications by gerald p. Sodiumcooled fastneutronspectrum liquidmetal reactors lmrs received much attention during the 1960s and 70s when it appeared that their breeding capabilities would soon be needed to supply fissile material to a rapidly expanding nuclear industry. Provides an authoritative overview of fast spectrum reactors and their potential to contribute to the wide application of nuclear power systems, crucial to energy and proliferation concerns. With a unique focus on the capabilities of fast spectrum reactors to address nuclear waste transmutation issues, in addition to the wellknown capabilities of breeding new fuel, this volume describes how. A number of fast spectrum reactor and engine designs employing refractory metal alloy fuel types were proposed and designed, but none were built. The fast breeder reactor fbr and its fuel cycle technology will provide promising. Joint ictpiaea school on physics and technology of fast. The afr concept is being developed at argonne national laboratory, as an extension of earlier work done on the integral fast reactor ifr. With a unique focus on the capabilities of fast spectrum reactors to address nuclear waste transmutation issues, in addition to the wellknown capabilities of breeding new fuel, this volume describes how fast spectrum reactors contribute to the wide application of nuclear power systems to serve the global nuclear renaissance while minimizing nuclear. This is a key advantage of fast reactors, because fast reactors have a significant excess of neutrons due to low parasitic absorbtion, unlike pwrs or lwrs. Generation iv fast reactors and the reuse of longlived. These use the uranium238 in reactor fuel as well as the fissile u235 isotope used in most reactors.
Fast spectrum reactor a simplified leadcooled fast core lfr based on snclfr100 small natural circulation lead cooled fast reactor with 100mwth proposed by university of science and technology of china chen et al. An accelerated development of the latter is possible. Fast spectrum materials testing reactor with variable energy. Reactor neutron spectrum characteristics fast intermediate thermal subcriticality.
Reasons for high br in fast reactors br depends on the core design fuel type, neutron spectrum, pin size etc. Sep 28, 2001 the only currently known concept that can meet all five requirements simultaneously is the advanced fast reactor afr, a system that includes a closed fuel cycle based on pyroprocessing. Hill i anlne1650 summary nuclear reactors that rely upon the fission reaction have two modes of thermal energy. Miller lewis research center summary a nuclear reactor suitable for spacepower applications should ideally be compact, in order to develope a reliable nuclear reactor for.
The important point is that it is only in a fast neutron spectrum that all actinides can be burned up, leading to very large differences between the waste products of this smfr reactor and that of thermal spectrum reactors over long times. The united states has extensive experience with the design, construction, and operation of sodium cooled fast reactors. It is targeted toward the analysis of pinbased reactors e. Overview of fast reactors technology and iaea activities in. This chapter is concerned with short and mediumtime phenomena. Presents the current trends in the sustainable development of nuclear energy, nuclear design, data and cross section processing. Borowski2 nasa glenn research center, cleveland, ohio 445 advancement of u. The fast reactor cell code kaper4 this report describes the code kaper4, a multigroup code for neutronics calculations of heterogeneous lattices of fast reactors. The sfr is designed for management of highlevel wastes and, in particular. The fast spectrum allows increasing the energy yield from natural uranium by a factor of sixty to seventy compared with thermal reactors, theoretically extending nuclear power progra mmes for thousands of years as well as.
Fastspectrum moltensalt reactors fsmsrs have been the subject of. Reactors and engines employing graphite based fuels were designed, built and ground tested. Chang associate laboratory director for engineering research argonne national laboratory argonne, il 60439 adapted from a talk delivered at argonne national laboratory on september 28, 2001 there is a growing international consensus that to be broadly acceptable for the. In considering the advanced safeguards approaches for new fast reactors, the experiment fast breeder reactor fbr monju in japan was studied at length, because it is a very modern fast reactor currently subject to international safeguards under the iaea. In order to combine the benefits of both oxide and metallic fuels, which would lead to. Fast breeder reactors federation of american scientists. Request pdf fast spectrum reactors this book is a complete update of the classic 1981 fast breeder reactors textbook authored by alan e.
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