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Re: [cdn-nucl-l] integral fast reactor (IFR), is reactor commercial anywhere??
Oct. 29, 2006
Mr. Behrhorst:
Unfortunately, the IFR has not yet "graduated to commercial power
generation." The IFR/ALMR project was aborted for non-technical
reasons (misguided proliferation concerns) in 1995. There is a
possible partial reincarnation coming as part of the GNEP (see links
below). While the GNEP envisions fast reactors used as burners of
plutonium (a shameful waste of fissile material), the technology is
essentially what is needed for breeding.
A
comprehensive collection of papers on the technology of the IFR (as of
1995) was published as a special double issue of Progress in Nuclear
Energy [W.H. Hannum, ed. “The Technology of the Integral Fast
Reactor and its Associated Fuel Cycle.” Progress in Nuclear Energy,
Volume 31, Number 1–2 (1997)]. If you are interested in
that amount of detail, I could probably have a copy sent to you.
Fast
reactors in various guises are being actively considered in India, China,
Japan, Russia, France, and probably elsewhere.
Here are
some references (in no particular order) that might interest
you:
- Dan Meneley, “Transition to Large Scale Nuclear Energy
Supply,” presented at the 27th Annual Conference of the Canadian Nuclear
Society, June 11-14, 2006. An informative PowerPoint discussion of
the role that fast reactors must play in the global energy future.
Not yet on the Internet. Available on request.
- W. H. Hannum, G. E. Marsh and G. S. Stanford,
“Smarter Use of Nuclear Waste,” Scientific American, December
2005, pp 84-91.
<
http://www.nationalcenter.org/NuclearFastReactorsSA1205.pdf>.
[NOTE: One technical glitch in this paper is that it
mistakenly assumes the practicality of using pyroprocessing for LWR
fuel. To be economical, that job will have to be done by
an aqueous process. The GNEP foresees UREX+ as the method of
choice. Pyro will of courser be used to recycle the metallic fuel from
fast reactors.]
- George S. Stanford, "Integral Fast Reactors: Source of
Safe, Abundant, Non-Polluting Power."
<
http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA378.html>
- The Global Nuclear Energy
Partnership (GNEP).
<
http://www.gnep.energy.gov/>
- Vic Reis, Senior Advisor,
Department of Energy, “Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
(GNEP).” Presented at the American Nuclear Society meeting, Reno,
NV, June 5, 2006.
<
http://www.sustainablenuclear.org/PADs/pad0606reis.pdf>
[A
superb overview of the GNEP]
[
Note: There's a possibly confusing notation in this
presentation. This expression:
Disposition =
Spent Fuel –(U +Pu)
means
that the material to be treated as waste is the spent fuel with the
uranium and transuranics removed.]
- "Statement of Dr. Phillip J. Finck ,Deputy Associate
Laboratory Director for Applied Science and Technology and National
Security, Argonne National Laboratory,Before the House Committee on
Science, Energy Subcommittee, Hearing on Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing June
16, 2005 "
<
http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2005/testimony050616.html>
- Doug Lightfoot, Wallace Manheimer,
Dan Meneley, Duane Pendergast, George S. Stanford, “Nuclear Fission Fuel
Is Inexhaustible.” Climate Change Technology Conference , May 10 -
12, 2006 - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
<
http://www.computare.org/Support%20documents/Fora%20Input/CCC2006/Nuclear%20Paper%2006_05.htm
>,
or
<
http://tinyurl.com/jtop6 >.
- George S. Stanford, “LWR Recycle: Necessity or
Impediment?” From the Proceedings of “Global 2003,” ANS Winter
Meeting, New Orleans, November 16–20, 2003.
<
http://www.nationalcenter.org/LWRStanford.pdf>
- Senators Richard Lugar and Evan
Bayh, “A nuclear fuel bank advocated.” Op Ed, Chicago
Tribune, October 22, 2006. Currently at
<
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0610220347oct22,1,5180609.story
>, but it might not stay there long. PDF available on
request.
- "Yucca Mountain: The Right Decision," by Gerald Marsh
and George Stanford - June 2002.
<
http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA415.html>. More op-eds re Yucca
Mountain, etc., can be found at
<
http://www.nationalcenter.org/>.)
I hope
some of this is of use. If I can help further, please don't
hesitate.
With best wishes,
George S. Stanford
Reactor physicist (retired)
Formerly with Argonne National Laboratory
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
At 10:37 PM 10/28/2006, BRUCE BEHRHORST wrote:
The integral fast reactor (IFR) is an advanced
liquid-metal-cooled reactor (ALMR) concept being developed at Argonne
National Laboratory. The IFR program is specifically responsible for the
irradiation performance, advanced core design, safety analysis, and
development of the fuel cycle for the US Department of Energy`s ALMR
program. The basic elements of the IFR concept are (a) metallic fuel, (b)
liquid-sodium cooling, (c) modular, pool-type reactor configuration, (d)
an integral fuel cycle based upon pyrometallurgical processing.
[
IFR link ]
Collecting info. for article, if anyone knows if this
reactor has graduated to commercial power generation I'd like to know
where it's employed thanks...
Bruce Behrhorst
Burnaby, British Columbia. V5C 2C9
Phone# 604-677-4042
cell ph.# 778-865-2445
Email:
texlixto@yahoo.com
bru_b@shaw.ca
online write:
http://www.nuclearspace.com
http://www.nuclearspacetechnology.org/