Integral Fast Reactor Concept. [Pool Type ; Metal Fuel ; Integral Fuel Cycle].


Book Description

Key features of the IFR consist of a pool-type plant arrangement, a metal fuel-based core design, and an integral fuel cycle with colocated fuel cycle facility. Both the basic concept and the technology base have been demonstrated through actual integral cycle operation in EBR-II. This paper discusses the inherent safety characteristics of the IFR concept. (DLC).




Integral Fast Reactor Concept Inherent Safety Features


Book Description

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is an innovative liquid-metal-cooled reactor concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The two major goals of the IFR development effort are improved economics and enhanced safety. The design features that together fulfill these goals are: (1) a liquid metal (sodium) coolant, (2) a pool-type reactor primary system configuration, (3) an advanced ternary alloy metallic fuel, and (4) an integral fuel cycle. This paper reviews the design features that contribute to the safety margins inherent to the IFR concept. Special emphasis is placed on the ability of the IFR design to accommodate anticipated transients without scram (ATWS).




A Next-generation Reactor Concept


Book Description

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is an advanced liquid metal reactor concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory as reactor technology for the 21st century. 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, in particular passive safety and waste management. The IFR concept consists of four technical features: (1) liquid sodium cooling, (2) pool-type reactor configuration, (3) metallic fuel, and (4) fuel cycle closure based on pyroprocessing.




Integral Fast Reactor


Book Description

Argonne National Laboratory is developing a reactor concept that would be an important part of the worlds energy future. This report discusses the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept which provides significant improvements over current generation reactors in reactor safety, plant complexity, nuclear proliferation, and waste generation. Two major facilities, a reactor and a fuel cycle facility, make up the IFR concept. The reactor uses fast neutrons and metal fuel in a sodium coolant at atmospheric pressure that relies on laws of physics to keep it safe. The fuel cycle facility is a hot cell using remote handling techniques for fabricating reactor fuel. The fuel feed stock includes spent fuel from the reactor, and potentially, spent light water reactor fuel and plutonium from weapons. This paper discusses the unique features of the IFR concept and the differences the quality assurance program has from current commercial practices. The IFR concept provides an opportunity to design a quality assurance program that makes use of the best contemporary ideas on management and quality.




Integral Fast Reactor Safety Features


Book Description

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is an advanced liquid-metal-cooled reactor concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The two major goals of the IFR development effort are improved economics and enhanced safety. In addition to liquid metal cooling, the principal design features that distinguish the IFR are: (1) a pool-type primary system, (2) an advanced ternary alloy metallic fuel, and (3) an integral fuel cycle with on-site fuel reprocessing and fabrication. This paper focuses on the technical aspects of the improved safety margins available in the IFR concept. This increased level of safety is made possible by (1) the liquid metal (sodium) coolant and pool-type primary system layout, which together facilitate passive decay heat removal, and (2) a sodium-bonded metallic fuel pin design with thermal and neutronic properties that provide passive core responses which control and mitigate the consequences of reactor accidents.




The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) Concept


Book Description

The IFR concept employs a pool layout, a U/Pu/Zr metal alloy fuel and a closed fuel cycle based on pyrometallurgical reprocessing and injection casting refabrication. The reactor physics issues of designing for inherent safety and for a closed fissile self-sufficient integral fuel cycle with uranium startup and potential actinide transmutation are discussed.




Advances by the Integral Fast Reactor Program


Book Description

The advances by the Integral Fast Reactor Program at Argonne National Laboratory are the subject of this paper. The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is an advanced liquid-metal-cooled reactor concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The advances stressed in the paper include fuel irradiation performance, improved passive safety, and the development of a prototype fuel cycle facility. 14 refs.




Status of the Integral Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Demonstration and Waste Management Practices


Book Description

Over the past few years, Argonne National Laboratory has been preparing for the demonstration of the fuel cycle for the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR), an advanced reactor concept that takes advantage of the properties of metallic fuel and liquid metal cooling to offer significant improvements in reactor safety and operations, fuel-cycle economics, environmental protection, and safeguards. The IFR fuel cycle, which will be demonstrated at Argonne-West in Idaho, employs a pyrometallurgical process using molten salts and liquid metals to recover actinides from spent fuel. The required facility modifications and process equipment for the demonstration are nearing completion. Their status and the results from initial fuel fabrication work, including the waste management aspects, are presented. Additionally, estimated compositions of the various process waste streams have been made, and characterization and treatment methods are being developed. The status of advanced waste processing equipment being designed and fabricated is described.




Integral Fast Reactor Concept


Book Description

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is an innovative LMR concept, being developed at Argonne National Laboratory, that fully exploits the inherent properties of liquid metal cooling and metallic fuel to achieve breakthroughs in economics and inherent safety. This paper describes key features and potential advantages of the IFR concept, technology development status, fuel cycle economics potential, and future development path.




Plans for the Development of the IFR (Integral Fast Reactor) Fuel Cycle


Book Description

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is a concept for a self-contained facility in which several sodium-cooled fast reactors of moderate size are located at the same site along with complete fuel-recycle and waste-treatment facilities. After the initial core loading with enriched uranium or plutonium, only natural or depleted uranium is shipped to the plant, and only wastes in final disposal forms are shipped out. The reactors have driver and blanket fuels of uranium-plutonium-zirconium alloys in stainless steel cladding. The use of metal alloy fuels is central to the IFR concept, contributing to the inherent safety of the reactor, the ease of reprocessing, and the relatively low capital and operating costs. Discharged fuels are recovered in a pyrochemical process that consists of two basic steps: an electrolytic process to separate fission products from actinides, and halide slagging to separate plutonium from uranium.