Fast breeder reactor: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
imported>Howard C. Berkowitz No edit summary |
imported>David Finn mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{subpages}} | {{subpages}} | ||
A '''fast breeder reactor''' is a [[nuclear power reactor]] in | A '''fast breeder reactor''' is a [[nuclear power reactor]] in which design tradeoffs have been made not to produce the ideal heat for power generation, but to produce reasonable heat but also a substantial amount of high-energy neutrons that will make ("breed") potential nuclear fuel of an appropriate [[plutonium]] isotope. Economically, it seems attractive when a reactor can produce 30 percent more fuel than it burns.<ref name=SciAm>{{citation | ||
| url = http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-do-fast-breeder-react | | url = http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-do-fast-breeder-react | ||
| date = 17 July 2006 journal = Scientific American | | date = 17 July 2006 journal = Scientific American | ||
Revision as of 02:46, 5 December 2011
A fast breeder reactor is a nuclear power reactor in which design tradeoffs have been made not to produce the ideal heat for power generation, but to produce reasonable heat but also a substantial amount of high-energy neutrons that will make ("breed") potential nuclear fuel of an appropriate plutonium isotope. Economically, it seems attractive when a reactor can produce 30 percent more fuel than it burns.[1] The reactor product is not immediately usable as fuel, but requires complex and hazardous plutonium reprocessing.
There has been hesitancy to use this design, over concerns on weapons-grade plutonium becoming too widely available. Only two, neither of which is operational, have been built in the U.S.
References
- ↑ P. Andrew Karam (17 July 2006 journal = Scientific American), How do fast breeder reactors differ from regular nuclear power plants?