Title: FACILITIES, CAPABILITIES, AND EXPERIENCE IN LIQUID METALS AND FAST REACTOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

MPLUS is a DOE designated User Facility providing extensive Technical Expertise and Specialized Facilities to assist Industrial and Academic Partners in becoming more Energy Efficient and enhancing US Competitiveness in the World market. MPLUS focusing on 7 major vision industries (aluminum, chemical, forest products, glass, metals castings, refineries, and steel) identified by DOE as being energy intensive, as well as cross-cutting industries such as welding and heat treating. MPLUS consists of four primary facilities: (1) Materials Processing, (2) Materials Joining, (3) Materials Characterization and Properties, and (4) Materials Process Modeling. Each facility provides rapid access to unique, state-of-the-art equipment, capabilities,more » and technical expertise necessary for solving materials processing issues that limit the development and implementation of emerging technologies. These capabilities include: (1) materials synthesis; (2) deformation processing; (3) materials characterization; (4) joining and mathematical modeling.« less

The second meeting of the UJCC was held in Japan on June 6--8, 1990. The first day was devoted to presentations of the status of the US and Japanese Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) programs and the status of specific areas of cooperative work. Briefly, the Japanese are following the FBR development program which has been in place since the 1970s. This program includes an FBR test reactor (JOYO), a pilot-scale reactor (MONJU), a demonstration-scale plant, and commercial-scale plants by about 2020. The US program has been redirected toward an actinide recycle mission using metal fuel and pyroprocessing of spent fuelmore » to recovery both Pu and the higher actinides for return to the Liquid Metal Reactor (LMR). The second day was spent traveling from Tokyo to Tsuruga for a tour of the MONJU reactor. The tour was especially interesting. The third day was spent writing the minutes of the meeting and the return trip to Tokyo.« less

The past, present, and future of the liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) program, the Nation's highest priority energy program, are studied. ERDA anticipates that the operation of the first large commercial breeder will start in 1987, and that 186 commercial-size breeders will be in operation by the year 2000. The breeder program is made up of six major areas, each dealing with an important element of technology: reactor physics; fuels and materials; fuel recycle; safety; component development; plant experience; and facilities used in the LMFBR program. ERDA is implementing a new system for administering, managing, and controlling the breedermore » program that will provide increased program visibility and control. Federal funding for breeder development was $168 million in FY 1971, accounting for 40% of the total Federal R and D energy budget; in FY 1976 Federal funding for this program will be $474 million, only 26% of total Federal funding for energy research. Besides Federal funds, over half a billion dollars have been or will be invested by industry over the next 5 to 10 years to develop the breeder and to build a demonstration plant. Five other nations--the United Kingdom, France, Japan, West Germany, and the Soviet Union--have a high priority national energy program for developing the LMFBR. These foreign breeder programs could contribute important data and information to the U.S. program. (BYB)« less