Western Europe pushing ahead to develop fast breeder reactor
In Western Europe, the U.K. was the first to build and operate an experimental electricity-producing FBR. The French and West Germans have put much engineering effort into FBR design. With the successful completions of Rapsodie and Phenix in France, French and Italian electric utilities are now collaborating to build Superphenix, a full-scale commercial FBR plant. Participants have expanded to West Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and the U.K. Meanwhile, at Karlsruhe, West Germany, a 200-MW experimental fast breeder, KNK-2, was built in 1968 for fuel-irradiation studies. A 300-MW prototype FBR plant, SNR-300, is now being planned by Schnellbruter Kernkraftwerkgesellschaft. The intention is to install a commercial-scale 1200-MW plant, SNR-2, more or less matching Superphenix. Like Superphenix, SNR-2 would come within the framework of the Europewide international collaborative program. The broadening of the research, development, and operating effort to embrace a large number of countries truly places the FBR development program in a Europewide context. A characteristic of the various FBR development programs is the considerable care that is being exercised to reduce the element of operating risk. The reprocessing plants planned are discussed; at Dounreay, Scotland, a unit is nearing completion for reprocessing spent fuel from an adjacent prototype fast reactor. It is the first reprocessing plant in Western Europe designed for coping with spent FBR fuel. (MCW)
- Research Organization:
- C and EN, London
- OSTI ID:
- 5240123
- Journal Information:
- Chem. Eng. News; (United States), Journal Name: Chem. Eng. News; (United States) Vol. 56:7; ISSN CENEA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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