Plans for the development of the IFR (Integral Fast Reactor) fuel cycle

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6994842

Johnson, T R

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.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6994842
• Report Number(s): CONF-8610226-2; ON: DE87004955
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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ACTINIDE ALLOYS
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EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FUEL CYCLE
IFR REACTOR
PLUTONIUM ALLOYS
PYROCHEMICAL REPROCESSING
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
URANIUM ALLOYS
ZERO POWER REACTORS
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS