Describes the features and benefits of the integral fast reactor. Experimental breeder reactor ii ebrii is a sodiumcooled fast reactor designed, built and operated by argonne national laboratory at the national reactor testing station in idaho. A critical technology for controlling climate change. First pooltype fast reactor, started operation in 1964. It employs molten salt reactor technology which is being developed by the canadian company terrestrial energy. The case for a nearterm commercial demonstration of the integral.
Today, however, cost rather than safety may be the current most significant factor for the drawback of the ifr. The key features of the integral fast reactor ifr concept include a pool plant layout, uranium plutoniumzirconium upuzr metallic alloy fuel, high internal. Integral fast reactors ifr would, if they existed, share features of other fast neutron reactors along with some less common or distinctive features including metallic fuel and the coupling of the reactor to pyroprocessing discussed below. The technology of the integral fast reactor and its. The integral fast reactor ifr is a fourth generation nuclear design that provides a clean, inexhaustible source of power, cheap, with virtually no waste, inherently safe if you remove the cooling, it shuts down rather than melts down, and the added benefit that it consumes the nuclear waste from other nuclear plants that we cant figure. Plentiful energy the story of the integral fast reactor gsdm. A demonstration or prototype reactor could be designed to allow testing of fuels or materials in the specific environment of that reactor type, but would typically not.
The ifr project developed the technology for a complete system. Reactors jordan university of science and technology. Terrestrial energy is a leading advanced reactor developer in a fast developing cleantech sector. We have about 400 reactor years of real world data and testing with fast breeders. Till and yoon il chang the complex history of a simple reactor technology, with emphasis on its scientific basis for nonspecialists plentiful energy charles e.
The ifr was also developed at dounreay in the uk from 1959 ebr i was the basic concept for the integral fast reactor with an onsite. The integral fast reactor ifr is an innovative liquid metal reactor concept being. The integral fast reactor ifr reactors designedbuilt. Given r a as a function of conversion, one can size any type of reactor. Fast spectrum reactors, also known as generation iv, are able to use 99. In the unit time, the concentration will be able to change only in virtue of a chemical reaction. The story of the integral fast reactor plentiful energy charles e. Here is a program idea i sent to every member of the senate and 300 members of congress. Oct 04, 2010 describes the features and benefits of the integral fast reactor. The integral fast reactor ifr is an innovative liquid metal reactor concept. Brook and other promoters of next generation reactors have another credibility problem. Once the kinetics is known, the reactor design can be made based on material. A separate fact sheet answering the misleading statements made in the. The integral fast reactor ifr, originally advanced liquidmetal reactor is a design for a nuclear reactor using fast neutrons and no neutron moderator a fast reactor.
There are currently 438 nuclear power plants operating in 30 countries and only 1 of these is a fast reactor. The study of such factors in addition to the detailed design of the reactor consist the chemical reaction engineering. On april 3, 1986, two tests demonstrated the inherent safety of the ifr concept. The concept can be applied to any sort of underlying reactor design, there are examples of integral pressurized water reactors, sodiumcooled fast. For reference, the tmi incident resulted in no deaths.
Eventually the generation iii line of reactors led to the generation iv integral fast reactor ifr design. The size of reactor required to give any particular conversion, which of course. Tom blees answers a set of excellent questions posed by a congressional chief of staff. An integral fast reactor is a liquid metalcooled fast reactor using metal fuel and integrated with an onsite fuel recycling plant. The sodium intermediate heat transfer loop is used in existing sodium cooled fast reactor sfr plant design as a. Batch reactor given its volume v, and the initial internal concentration c0, the total mass will be m vc0. Worse still, brook persists with that claim although he knows it has been contradicted by, among others, a scientist with handson experience working on a prototype integral fast reactor in the us. We have about 400 reactoryears of real world data and testing with fastbreeders. The integral fast reactor ifr is a generation iv system that meets the goals of gif squarely and comprehensively. The integral molten salt reactor imsr is designed for the small modular reactor smr market. An optimized source for global energy needs charles archambeau1, randolph ware2,3, tom blees1, barry brook4, yoon chang5, jerry peterson6, robert serafin3, joseph shuster1, evgeny velikhov7,8, tom wigley3 1science council for global initiatives, 2cooperative institute for research in environmental sciences, 3national center for. Indeed, this next promotional video about the integral fast reactor shows how old these passive safety technologies are.
Feb 19, 2008 here is a program idea i sent to every member of the senate and 300 members of congress. Here the term integral refers to the integration of an electrochemical processing system in tandem with the fast reactor essentially an ebrii reactor. Its 10 minutes long and shows how the ifr reprocesses nuclear waste for a reburn, but at 7. The russian federations 300 mwe design brestod300 is a lead cooled fast reactor that uses a two circuit heat transport system to deliver heat to a supercritical steam turbine. Hitachi as the prism power reactor innovative small module currently considered by uk, russia. Talk about when you decided to go into nuclear power, and about the vision as it. Nov 02, 2011 anyone who thinks the integral fast reactor ifr died in the 1990s needs to think again.
The technology of the integral fast reactor and its associated fuel cycle. Major features are it uses existing nuclear waste for fuel and it generates no longterm radioactive waste. Hall talk licensing the integral fast reactor design. You would also need to run your ifr on a short cycle. It is based closely on the denatured molten salt reactor dmsr, a reactor design from oak ri. Plentiful energy science council for global initiatives. To evaluate this integral graphically, we need to plot. The integral fast reactor prism developed at argonne national laboratory, based on ebr ii cancelled by the clinton administrationcongress in 1994 now marketed worldwide by gehitachi as the prism power reactor innovative small module currently considered by uk, russia, china, south korea for deployment 7 ifrprism technical specifications. Jan 19, 2017 while the application for the nuscale reactor certainly is the first smr application in the united states, the integral pressurized water reactor ipwr dates back to nearly the start of commercial nuclear energyand its heritage is at sea.
The integral to calculate the pfr volume can be evaluated using a method such as simpsons onethird rule pg 925. Assessment of missions and requirements for a new u. Similarly, comparing the inherently unsafe chernobyl reactor design to an esbwr is a bit like comparing an army revolver to a water gun. Typical metal core design parameters are presented in. Hall talk licensing the integral fast reactor design ans. The integral fast reactor ifr is a fast reactor system developed at argonne national laboratory in the decade 1984 to 1994. The only currently known concept that can meet all five requirements simultaneously is the advanced fast reactor afr, a system that includes a closed fuel cycle based on pyroprocessing. Reactor concepts manual boiling water reactor systems usnrc technical training center 33 0400 bwr reactor vessel assembly the reactor vessel assembly, shown on page 34, consists of the reactor vessel and its internal components, including the core support structures, core shroud, moisture removal equipment, and jet pump assemblies. The integral fast reactor is a systems design with a sodiumcooled reactor with metal fuels and pyroprocessing onsite. Reactors are usually designed based on rate considerations.
These reactors provide enough residence time for the reaction to take place with satisfactory conversion. Historical video about the integral fast reactor concept. Technical feasibility of an integral fast reactor ifr as a future. The afr concept is being developed at argonne national laboratory, as an extension of earlier work done on the integral fast reactor ifr. The integral fast reactor is an example of a great reactor design that was abandoned in the past due to safety considerations. Yes, it can solve the waste storage problem completely if adopted widely.
For all irreversible reactions of greater than zero order, the volume of the reactor approaches. An optimized source for global energy needs charles archambeau1, randolph ware2,3, tom blees1, barry brook4, yoon chang5, jerry peterson6, robert serafin3, joseph shuster1, evgeny velikhov7,8, tom wigley3 1science council for global initiatives, 2cooperative institute for research in environmental sciences. In the nuclear power field, an integral reactor is a nuclear reactor design principle where the reactor core, primary cooling loop, steam generators and any required emergency cooling are contained within a single reactor vessel. The integral fast reactorprism developed at argonne national laboratory, based on ebr ii cancelled by the clinton administrationcongress in 1994 now marketed worldwide by gehitachi as the prism power reactor innovative small module currently considered by uk, russia, china, south korea for deployment 7 ifrprism technical specifications. Integral pressurized water reactor ans nuclear cafe. Two commonly used reactors are the cstr continuous stirred tank reactor and the pfr plug flow reactor. The integral fast reactor ifr reactors designedbuilt by. Integral fast reactor ifr nuclear power q and a brave. The integral fast reactor ifr is a fast nuclear power reactor design developed from 1984 to 1994. The integral fast reactor ifr is an innovative reactor concept being. Technology next generation molten salt reactor msr proprietary msr design the integral molten salt reactor imsr high technology readiness conducting basicpreliminary engineering work concludes with construction and licensing of the first commercial imsr power plant 400 mwth reactor. Proprietary msr design the integral molten salt reactor imsr.
The volume of a pfr can be represented as the shaded area in the levenspiel plot shown below. This fact sheet is intended to set the record straight on the ifr. Anyone who thinks the integral fast reactor ifr died in the 1990s needs to think again. The reactor is called the advanced liquid metal reactor almr. While the application for the nuscale reactor certainly is the first smr application in the united states, the integral pressurized water reactor ipwr dates back to nearly the start of commercial nuclear energyand its heritage is at sea. The integral fast reactor is a design for a nuclear reactor using fast neutrons and no neutron moderator a fast reactor. Experimental breeder reactorii ebrii is a sodiumcooled fast reactor designed, built and operated by argonne national laboratory at the national reactor testing station in idaho. We can bridge to the integral fast reactor with the new westinghouse reactor. At a panel on tuesday, november 1, at the ans winter meeting, a group of senior scientists and engineers who have worked on the technology gathered to assess the results of more than two years of work.
Latest issue article collections all issues submit your article. Ifr is distinguished by a nuclear fuel cycle that uses reprocessing via electrorefining at the reactor site. Till and yoon il chang this wonderful book by fast reactor pioneers charles till and yoon. We summarize the design and functionality of the primary component of this mix of sources, namely the ifr nuclear system, since its exposure to. The concept can be applied to any sort of underlying reactor design, there are examples of integral pressurized water reactors, sodiumcooled fast reactors, and others. Integral fast reactors friends of the earth australia.
The two major goals of the ifr development effort are improved. A paradigm shift in safety design approach to prevent severe accidents. Breeder reactor ebr i operated at the idaho national laboratory in the usa from 19511963. The integral fast reactor ifr project in the decade from 1984 to 1994, scientists at argonne national laboratory developed an advanced technology that promised safe nuclear power unlimited by fuel supplies, with a waste product sharply reduced both. These tests simulated accidents involving loss of coolant flow. The integral fast reactor ifr is an advanced liquidmetalcooled reactor concept being developed at argonne national laboratory. The almr is a fast reactor that is, the chain reactions between fissil. Western design is superb, three mile island notwithstand ing, it would be. The concept is a unitized primary coolant system in which the reactor core, the pressurizer, the. Developed at argonne national laboratory, based on ebrii cancelled by clinton administrationcongress in 1994 now marketed worldwide by ge. The ifr is a reactor fueled by metal alloy and cooled by liquid sodium. The integral fast reactor ifr is a revolutionary reactor design concept developed at argonne national laboratory.
It seeks to specifically exploit the inherent properties of liquid metal cooling and metallic fuel in a way that leads to substantial improvements in the characteristics of the complete reactor system. The ability to accommodate anticipated transients without scram passively resulted in significant. Ifr is distinguished by a nuclear fuel cycle that uses reprocessing via electrorefining at the reactor site ifr development began in 1984 and the u. However, 20 fast reactors have operated in the 50 years. The main goals are mass production of the reactor, as the entire working design can be delivered as a single unit and then connected to the nonnuclear generation sections of. There is no difference, but the integral part of integral fast reactor refers to the systems design that includes onsite pyroprocessing of the nuclear fuel. 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. Sep 28, 2001 the only currently known concept that can meet all five requirements simultaneously is the advanced fast reactor afr, a system that includes a closed fuel cycle based on pyroprocessing. Molten salt reactor technical working group licensing. The integral fast reactor wind power nuclear power. The integral fast reactor ifr is an innovative liquid metal reactor concept being developed at argonne national laboratory. For batch reactors, conversion is a function of time whereas for. The design includes both a new reactor and a new nuclear fuel cycle. Mar 03, 2014 historical video about the integral fast reactor concept.
The safe integral reactor sir tm is an innovative pressurized water reactor pwr design with enhanced safety which has been developed jointly by abb combustion engineering, inc. Integral fast reactor ifr, a breeder reactor design long abandoned and which does not exist today anywhere in the world. Analysis of ifr demonstration program, final report, a. The integral fast reactor ifr an unfulfilled promise. Metal reactor almr and integral fast reactor ifr programs emphasis back on a pooltype sfrs with metal alloy fuel to address regulatory concerns related to severe accidents subsequent metallic fuel testing in 1980s during ifr program demonstrated that burnup limitation could be overcome by changing the fuel design. Reactors reactions are usually the heart of the chemical processes in which relatively cheap raw materials. Department of energy built a prototype, the experimental breeder. Ifr would breed more fuel and is distinguished by a nuclear fuel cycle that uses reprocessing via electrorefining at the reactor site. Integral fast reactors for the masses brave new climate. International nuclear fuel cycle evaluation infce 8 era, robust proliferation resistance was a requirement. Major fast reactor options there are four major fast reactor options, and innovative designs of each one of them are presented in this booklet. The experimental breederii or ebrii reactor was the prototype for the integral fast reactor ifr, a reactor fueled by metal alloy and. Proliferationresistance assessment of the integral fast reactor. Ebrii operated as the integral fast reactor ifr prototype, demonstrating important innovations in safety, plant design, fuel design and actinide recycle.
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