Fast Neutron Reactor

Other options for eliminating weapons-grade plutonium arc to seal it permanently in solid radioactive waste and dispose of it in waste repositories, and to use the plutonium to fuel fast neutron reactors (without reprocessing the plutonium into a MOX fuel). 

In fast (neutron) reactors, the fission chain reaction is sustained by fast neutrons, unlike in thermal reactors. Thus, fast reactors require fuel that is relatively rich in fissile material highly enriched uranium (> 20%) or plutonium. As fast neutrons are desired, there is also the need to eliminate neutron moderators hence, certain liquid metals, such as sodium, are used for cooling instead of water. Fast reactors more deliberately use the 238U as well as the fissile 235U isotope used in most reactors. If designed to produce more plutonium than they consume, they are called fast-breeder reactors if they are net consumers of plutonium, they are called burners . 

Large amounts of sodium waste arise from fast neutron reactors (Phenix and Superphenix in France, Dounreay in the UK, Monju in Japan), which are cooled by large amounts of liquid sodium, which is contaminated by 137Cs during its functioning. We shall see that it is possible to remove radioactive cesium after conversion of liquid sodium to sodium hydroxide. 

The Experimental Breeder Reactor EBR-1 was the first power reactor and the first fast neutron reactor. It was put in service in 1951 on the site of Idaho in the United-States and it became the world s first electricity-generating nuclear power plant when it produced sufficient electricity to illuminate four 200-watt light bulbs. 

Fast neutron reactors with a closed fuel cycle to achieve a durable production of electricity while minimising needs of uranium and the burden of long-lived radioactive waste. 

The French Act of 28 June 2006 on a sustainable management of nuclear materials and radioactive waste sets plans for a prototype of fast neutron reactor to proceed in the 2020s with demonstrations of advanced recycling modes that are anticipated in 2012 to offer best prospects of industrial applications. 

The fission of one nucleus of produce about 200 MeV of usable energy, to be compared with 4 eV produced by the oxidation of one C atom. During the overall process, a huge amount of heat is produced through a controlled nuclear chain reaction in a critical mass of fissile material. Potential future developments (fission in fast neutron reactors (breeders), also known as fourth generation nuclear, which... 

Liquid sodium has attractive properties for its application as a working fluid in a fast neutron reactor with the ability to breed plutonium fuel by the reaction of ura-nium with the fast neutrons. Sodium does not act as a neutron moderator, its liquid state at atmospheric pressure reaches from 97.8 °C to 892 °C, its heat transfer properties are excellent and its nuclear reactions do not cause a long lasting activation. Sodium is the medium which is able to transfer the energy generated in the high density reactor core better than any other heat transfer fluid... 

Graphite compounds of rubidium and cesium seem to be more stable and to be formed easily. This is of technical importance since the absorption of the fission elements rubidium and cesium by graphite immersed in liquid sodium will be applied to remove them from the sodium coolant of a fast neutron reactor The formation of a lithium compound of this type has never been observed. 

VI. An Outline of Potential Hazards to the Population from Accidents to Sodium-Cooled Fast Neutron Reactors. 

VI. AN OUTLINE OF POTENTIAL HAZARDS TO THE POPULATION FROM ACCIDENTS TO SODIUM-COOLED FAST NEUTRON REACTORS... 

Ibaki, S.et al., 1998, Current Statusofthe Prototype FBRMonju , Workshop on The Future of Fast Neutron Reactor , ENS 1998, Nice, France. 

An organisation has been set out with means for guaranteeing satisfactory processing of experience feedback from the plant, other French and Overseas fast neutron reactors and the PWR plants... 

The role of Group R is to organise expenence feedback from French and foreign fast neutron reactors together with PWR plants... 

The primary sodium pollution incident, which is particularly significant of the prototype nature of the fast neutron reactor at Creys-Malville, led to a long shutdown which justified its classification as a level 2 seriousness incident, although it did not bring into question the safety of the installations... 

JU.E. BAGDASAROV et al. Engineering Issues of Fast Neutron Reactors. Moscow Atomizdat, 1969 (Rus). 

The possibility and expediency of developing the NP based on unified small power reactor modules SVBR-75/100 with fast neutron reactors cooled by lead-bismuth eutectic coolant (LBC) is substantiated for the nearest decades in the paper. 

From 3 to 12 Mev, measurements of the total cross sections in a large number of elements have been made by Nereson and Darden using the neutrons emitted by a fast neutron reactor as a source, and a special energy-selective detector. In that instrument, protons projected in the forward direction from a polythene foil were measured by an ionisation chamber connected in coincidence with a proportional counter located between it and the foil, and in anticoincidence with another counter beyond it. The energy of the protons was measured by the size of the pulses they produced in the chamber the energy resolution was about 10%. 

FAST NEUTRON REACTOR Harry Soodak, Cambridge, Mass and Engene P. Wigner, Pmceton, NJ assignors to the United States of America as represented by the United States Atomic Energy Commisrimi... 

As is more fully discussed in said copending application, fast neutron reactors are particularly advantageous for certain purposes due to their small size and compactness, and also due to the fact that relatively few neutrons are absorbed at high energy values in the non-fissionable components of such reactors. 

A general object of the present invention is to design an effective fast neutron reflector disposed around a fast neutron reactor to diminish neutron losses from the periphery thereof, thereby making possible a reactor of... 

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic central vertical sectional view partly in elevation of a fast neutron reactor embodying the invention ... 

The development of the neutronic formulaire for fast neutron reactors ERANOS has been satisfactory. In 1996, for the first time 3D - transport calculations are currently performed for PHENIX and SUPERPHENIX. 

Far and away the development of nuclear power in Russia with fast neutron reactors is connected with the use in a closed fuel cycle primarily of power plutonium, produced in thermal reactors. However, availability of successfully operated BN-600 reactor and the construction in sight of BN-800 reactors permits to consider the... 

R. B. Nicholson, The Doppler effect in fast neutron reactors, APDA-139 (1960). 

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