Fast Flux Test Facility
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| Fast Flux Test Facility | |
|---|---|
 US Department of Energy · Public domain · source | |
| Name | Fast Flux Test Facility |
| Location | Hanford Site, near Richland, Washington |
| Country | United States |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Owner | United States Department of Energy |
| Operator | Westinghouse Hanford Company; Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories |
| Construction start | 1970s |
| Commissioning | 1980 |
| Decommissioned | 1994 (shutdown); ongoing decommissioning |
| Reactor type | Liquid metal (sodium) cooled fast neutron reactor |
| Thermal power | 400 MWt |
| Electrical output | 60 MWe (design) |
Fast Flux Test Facility The Fast Flux Test Facility was a sodium-cooled, fast-neutron test reactor at the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington operated by the United States Department of Energy and managed through contractors including Westinghouse and Battelle Memorial Institute. Built during the Cold War to support materials testing, isotopes, and prototype fuels for programs linked to Naval Reactors and breeder reactor concepts, the facility combined experimental rigs, hot cells, and a turbine-generator complex. It played roles related to national programs such as the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project, the Integral Fast Reactor, and cooperative projects with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Design and Construction
Design and construction engaged contractors and laboratories including General Electric, Bechtel, Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory alongside site institutions such as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Hanford Site infrastructure. Planning drew on experience from earlier projects like the EBR-I and EBR-II reactors, and consulted standards from organizations such as the American Nuclear Society and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The siting process involved the Columbia River environs and coordination with the Bonneville Power Administration and the United States Army Corps of Engineers for utilities, transport, and construction logistics. Construction milestones referenced procurement from firms like General Dynamics and components influenced by vendors including Westinghouse Electric Company and Rolls-Royce (consultation histories). Project funding and oversight intersected with programs in the Department of Defense and congressional committees including the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Reactor Specifications and Systems
The reactor used a pool-type, liquid sodium coolant with a fast neutron spectrum, drawing on physics foundations developed at Argonne National Laboratory and materials research from Los Alamos National Laboratory. Core design parameters were influenced by neutronics studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and thermal-hydraulics lessons from Sandia National Laboratories. Plant systems included primary and secondary sodium loops, intermediate heat exchangers, and a steam turbine manufactured with technology from firms linked to the Electric Power Research Institute. Instrumentation and control systems integrated designs sourced from General Electric Company controls and research instruments from National Institute of Standards and Technology. Fuel handling and in-vessel components drew on metallurgical research from Columbia University and irradiation creep studies published by scholars affiliated with Imperial College London.
Operations and Performance
Operational oversight involved contractors and entities including Battelle, Westinghouse, and federal offices such as the Office of Science and the Energy Research and Development Administration. Experimental campaigns supported programs tied to the Nuclear Navy and civilian breeder concepts promoted in hearings before the United States Congress. Performance metrics, outage records, and maintenance schedules were compared with other test reactors like HFR Petten and research reactors at Institut Laue–Langevin, with collaborations including CANDU program researchers and European partners from Commissariat à l'énergie atomique. Data from irradiation experiments contributed to materials models used by universities like Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley.
Safety, Incidents, and Decommissioning
Safety reviews referenced regulatory frameworks and agencies including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and environmental statutes administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. Incident analyses invoked lessons from events at reactors such as Three Mile Island and industrial responses coordinated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for environmental monitoring. Deactivation and decommissioning planning involved contractors like Fluor Corporation and oversight by the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, drawing on precedents from cleanup of the Hanford Site and remedial actions aligned with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. Long-term stewardship discussions engaged stakeholders such as the State of Washington and tribal governments including the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in planning for contamination control and land reuse.
Research Programs and Experiments
The facility hosted irradiation experiments, fuel qualification tests, and materials science programs linked to national initiatives such as the Integral Fast Reactor program, cooperative international projects with OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, and isotope production used by medical institutions like Mayo Clinic and research hospitals. Experimental apparatus included instrumented test assemblies developed with partners such as Siemens and research collaborations with academic centers including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, University of Tennessee, and Purdue University. Programs addressed transmutation, actinide behavior relevant to the Yucca Mountain debates, and collaboration with national isotope programs administered by Brookhaven National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory.
Environmental Impact and Regulatory Oversight
Environmental monitoring, radiological assessments, and cleanup actions coordinated among the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and tribal governments. Remediation strategies paralleled other Hanford initiatives involving contractors such as Bechtel National and scientific input from institutions like California Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University. Regulatory review processes referenced federal statutes and involved advisory committees with members from American Nuclear Society, National Academy of Sciences, and international reviewers from bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency. Long-term environmental stewardship continues to be informed by modeling work from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and monitoring networks coordinated with the Bonneville Power Administration and regional stakeholders.