fast breeder reactor

fast breeder reactor
US Department of Energy · Public domain · source
Name	Fast breeder reactor
Type	Fast neutron reactor

Contents

fast breeder reactor A fast breeder reactor is a class of nuclear reactors that use fast neutrons to convert fertile isotopes into fissile material while producing power. Developed through programs led by institutions such as Argonne National Laboratory, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation and Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, breeder concepts intersect with projects like Integral Fast Reactor, Monju reactor, Phénix reactor and BN-800 reactor. International initiatives from agencies including the International Atomic Energy Agency, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Generation IV International Forum shaped research, oversight, and deployment.

Overview and Principles

Fast breeder reactors operate without a moderator, relying on high-energy neutrons from fission to sustain reactions. Fundamental principles trace to work by Enrico Fermi, Hannes Alfvén and teams at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, combining neutron economy, breeding ratio, and coolant selection such as liquid sodium studied at Kurchatov Institute and Paul Scherrer Institute. Design targets include breeding ratio >1, fuel reprocessing compatibility as pursued by Centrus Energy and AREVA partners, and integration with national fuel strategies exemplified by India's Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor program and France's fast reactor initiatives.

Design families include sodium-cooled fast reactors, lead-cooled fast reactors, gas-cooled fast reactors and molten-salt fast concepts. Notable examples and organizations: sodium-cooled designs like EBR-II at Idaho National Laboratory, Phénix reactor and Superphénix at Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, and Russian BN series by Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation; lead-cooled designs pursued by European Lead Fast Reactor initiatives and research at United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority; gas-cooled concepts explored by General Atomics; molten salt ideas developed in collaborations with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Engineering challenges connect to materials science at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Imperial College London, instrumentation from Siemens and Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, and testing facilities at Transatomic Power-linked labs and national test reactors like JOYO.

Breeding converts fertile isotopes such as Uranium-238 and Thorium-232 into fissile isotopes like Plutonium-239 or Uranium-233 via neutron capture and decay chains first quantified by researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Fuel forms include mixed oxide (MOX) developed by AREVA and metal fuels examined in Integral Fast Reactor programs. Reprocessing methods associated with breeder cycles involve pyroprocessing at Idaho National Laboratory and aqueous separation techniques refined by teams at CEA and British Nuclear Fuels Limited. National fuel strategies by India, China National Nuclear Corporation and Russia integrate breeder reactors into long-term resource planning and strategic reserves.

Safety analysis draws on lessons from incidents at reactors overseen by Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (India), Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (Japan) and Rostechnadzor; historical events such as the Monju reactor sodium leak informed teams at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory. Key risks include coolant chemical reactivity (notably liquid sodium with oxygen and water) studied by Sandia National Laboratories and structural material degradation addressed by Materials Research Society collaborations. Defense-in-depth, passive decay heat removal concepts from Generation IV International Forum reports and probabilistic risk assessment techniques from Electric Power Research Institute are central to licensing by authorities like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and regulators in France.

Operational milestones span experimental and commercial projects: pioneering efforts at EBR-I and EBR-II in United States Department of Energy programs, BN-600 and BN-800 series at Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Station by Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, Phénix reactor and Superphénix in France by Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, and JOYO and MONJU in Japan supported by Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Deployment patterns reflect policy shifts in United Kingdom and Germany and investment decisions influenced by organizations such as World Nuclear Association, International Energy Agency and national ministries of energy.

Economic performance is assessed by cost analyses from International Atomic Energy Agency, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency and national utilities like EDF and Kansai Electric Power Company. High capital costs, fuel cycle infrastructure requirements seen at Sellafield and Tarapur and regulatory uncertainty affect competitiveness relative to light-water reactors promoted by Westinghouse Electric Company and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. Policy drivers include energy security strategies by India, China, and Russia; nonproliferation treaties such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; and climate commitments discussed at Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC.

Environmental assessments reference lifecycle studies by World Health Organization, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change analyses; breeder reactors can reduce high-level waste volume but produce separated fissile materials. Proliferation risks are evaluated by International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, historical debates involving A.Q. Khan network concerns, and export control regimes like the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Mitigation strategies include intrinsic proliferation-resistant fuel forms studied at Argonne National Laboratory and safeguards technologies developed by Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory.