Power Demonstration Reactor Program

In addition to the round-one proposals, the AEC granted in May 1956 a construction permit to Consolidated Edison Company of New York to build a pressurized-water reactor on the Hudson River at Indian Point, New York, approximately twenty-four miles north of the center of New York City. Top management in the company disliked government intrusion and believed that private enterprise should underwrite the development of commercial atomic power. On that basis Consolidated Edison proceeded with the Indian Point plant without participating in the Power Demonstration Reactor Program. The facOity began operation in 1962. ... 

AEC announced Power Demonstration Reactor Program, under which government and industry would cooperate in construction and operation of experimental power reactors. AEC released report on "Effects of High-Yield Nuclear Explosions."... 

THE JAPAN POWER DEMONSTRATION REACTOR DECOMMISSIONING PROGRAM... 

As a part of the power demonstration program of the AFC in the 1950s, the Enrico Fermi fast breeder reactor (Fermi-1) was built near Detroit by a consortium of companies led by Detroit Edison. Fermi-1 used enriched uranium as fuel and sodium as coolant, and produced 61 MWe. It suffered a partial fuel melting accident in 1966 as the result of a blockage of core coolant flow by a metal plate. The reactor was repaired but shut down permanently in November 1972 because of lack of binding. Valuable experience was gained from its operation, however (58). 

The Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) was designed as a 62.5 MWt, metal fueled, pool reactor with a conventional 19 MWe power plant. The productive life of the EBR-II began with first operations in 1964. Demonstration of the fast reactor fuel cycle, serving as an irradiation facility, demonstration of fast reactor passive safety and lastly, was well on its way to close the fast breeder fuel cycle for the second time when the Integral Fast Reactor program was prematurely ended in October 1994 with the shutdown of the EBR-II. 

ZPPR is designed to be used for physics studies of power breeder reactor systems in support of the AEC s lMFBR program, and can accommodate mockups characr terlstic of the proposed 300- to 500-MW(e) demonstration pltmts and lOOO-MW(e) commercial plants- Compositiph simulation is accomplished by assembling fuel, coolant, and structural materials, In the form of small plates, Into drawers which are, In turn, loaded into the reactor matrix. 

Va contract with the AEC under the terms of the Power Demonstration I j Reactor Program. Cisler organized a new nonprofit technical consortium,... 

Bottom 1 prototype HTGR operated successfully in all respects under the auspices of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission s Power Reactor Demonstration Program. However, its si2e (only 40 MW) was insufficient to justify continued commercial operation. 

---