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CEFR under construction, 2003–2004. Credit IAEA

I just came across an interesting article from Nuclear Engineering International magazine from January indicating that China has broken ground and moving forward quickly on an experimental 65 MW fast-neutron nuclear reactor. The goal of the $350 million China Experimental Fast Reactor is to test and “accumulate experience on fast reactor design, construction and operation.” If China brings the CEFR online in 2010 – as is planned – it will be only the third power-generating fast reactor in the world. Another one is supposed to be up and operating this year in India, and planning is under way for one in Japan and Russia.

Fast reactor testing and construction on various scales has been around since the 1940s. The technology used in these reactors is considered superior because they use sodium as a coolant instead of water. The resulting “fast” neutrons have less tendency to be captured by uranium atoms and be converted to plutonium or higher actinides. The CEFR will use 260 tons of liquid sodium.

Obviously, interest in the fast reactors is fairly high given the pressure to use nuclear power as an alternative to high CO₂ emitting fuels and as a stopgap until clean renewables achieve wider integration and market penetration.

The fuel used in the CEFR is UO₂ (64.4% U-235). From a review of other literature quickly available, it’s unclear to me if CEFR would be considered to be a full “closed fuel cycle” type of facility, but its clear from this 1995 IAEA paper that it has always been the intention to have the facility be used for the transmutation of minor actinides to reduce the long-term radiological hazards.

In the case of a power failure, the CEFR has been designed with two independent, passive decay heat-removal systems using the natural convection and circulation of primary and secondary sodium and natural air cooling.

Apparently China will be building another demonstration fast reactor around 2020. After that, the nation plans to build a commercial-type fast reactor. Scaling up the size is important piece of China’s energy plans as the nation hopes to have a 1000-1500 MW reactor completed in 2028 and deployed before 2035. The article also notes that China wants to replace coal-fired power plants with fast reactors “in large scale after 2050.”

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This video, produced by the Science Channel with the assistance of Argonne National Lab, discusses some of the work being done to perfect closed-cycle “fast” nuclear reactors. Nearly all reactors used for energy production are based on a light-water reactor model that are inefficient (fuel rods must be replaced after only 5% of the uranium-235 has been used) and create wastes with very long half lives.

Instead of using water, fast reactors employ a coolant – typically liquid sodium – that doesn’t slow down neutrons. The resulting “fast” neutrons have less tendency to be captured by uranium atoms and be converted to plutonium or higher actinides.

ANL’s fast reactors treat spent reactor fuel not as waste but as a rich source of recycled energy. Because they permit the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, fast reactors can operate through what is known as the “closed fuel cycle,” which dramatically increases the efficiency of uranium use and minimizes the discharge of plutonium and minor actinides as waste. A closed fuel cycle could - at least theoretically - use 90 percent of the energy available in uranium.

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