CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO FAST BREEDER REACTORS

1.1 INTRODUCTION
The history of Fast Reactors goes back to the construction of an experimental
fast reactor, Clementine in 1946. The coolant was liquid mercury. This reactor
used plutonium as fuel and was built to demonstrate the feasibility of operating
a fast reactor. Next was the construction and operation of Experimental Breeder
Reactor-I (EBR-I) in 1951.This used enriched Uranium 235 as fuel and cooled
by liquid sodium potassium alloy (NaK). It is notable that EBR-I was the first
nuclear reactor to generate electrical power and a bulb was lighted on 20 Dec.
1951.Subsequently many fast reactors using Sodium as the coolant have been
built and operated in different countries (Tables 1-1 and 1-2).
TABLE 1-1 Experimental Fast Reactors

Reactor

Country

Date
of
Criticality

Thermal
Rating
(MW)

Electrical
Rating
(MW)

Fuel

Coolant

CLEMENTINE

US

1946

0.025

Pu Metal

Hg

EBR-I

US

1951

1.2

0.2

U Metal

NaK

BR-1/2

USSR

1956

0.1

Pu Metal

Hg

BR-5/10

USSR

1958

5/10

PuO2,UC/PuO2

Na

UK

1959

60

15

U Metal

NaK

LAMPRE

US

1961

Liquid Pu

Na

Fermi(EFFBR)

US

1963

200

65

U Metal

Na

EBR-II

US

1963

62

20

U Metal

Na

Rapsodie

France

1967

40

UO2-PuO2

Na

SEFOR

US

1969

20

UO2-PuO2

Na

BOR-60

USSR

1969

60

12

UO2

Na

KNK-2

Germany

1977

58

21

UO2

Na

JOYO

Japan

1977

100

UO2-PuO2

Na

FFTF

US

1980

400

UO2-PuO2

Na

FBTR

India

1985

40

13

UC-PuC

Na

Dounreay(DFR)

TABLE 1-2 Prototype and Demonstration Fast Breeder Reactors

Reactor

Country

Critical

BN-350

USSR

1972

150

1000

UO2

Na

Loop

PHENIX

France

1973

250

568

UO2-PuO2

Na

Pool

PFR

UK

1974

250

600

UO2-PuO2

Na

Pool

BN-600

USSR

1980

600

1470

UO2

Na

Pool

1983

1200

3000

UO2-PuO2

Na

Pool

327

770

UO2-PuO2

Na

Loop

300

714

UO2-PuO2

Na

Loop

375

975

UO2-PuO2

Na

Loop

SUP. PHENIX France

SNR-300

Germany

MONJU

Japan

CRBRP

US

1987

MWe

MWt

Fuel

Coolant Layout

This chapter focuses attention on the need for breeder reactors and gives an
overview of the Fast reactor programme in the world.
1.2 BASICS OF BREEDING
The discovery of nuclear fission in the 1930s, followed by many reactor
experiments indicated that the isotopes U233, U235 and Pu239 could be
fissioned when bombarded by neutrons with energies in the low(<1 eV) and
intermediate ranges around 1 MeV . The low energy neutrons are also called as
Thermal neutrons and reactors where fission is based on thermal neutrons, like
the light water and heavy water reactors are called thermal reactors. Light Water
reactors use enriched U235(~2.5% U235) compared to natural uranium (~0.7%
U235) in Heavy Water Reactors.It was also found that abundant isotopes of
U238 and Th 232 could fission only when bombarded by higher energy(fast)
neutrons(> 1MeV). Since natural uranium comprises only 0.7% U235 which is
fissile, the full fuel utilization could be possible if we could utilize the
remaining 99.3% of U238. It was also known that U238 and Th 232 could
capture neutrons at energies below 1 MeV range and get converted to Pu 239
and U 233 respectively.
Therefore U238 and Th232 were called fertile isotopes. If more fissile
isotopes could be produced from fertile isotopes, than that were destroyed in the
fission chain reaction, it would be possible to effectively utilize the fertile
isotopes. This process of producing more fuel than what is consumed is referred
to as breeding. It was soon learnt that the ratio of number of neutrons emitted in
fission per neutron absorbed called ETA for fissile isotope Pu 239 is higher in a
fast neutron spectrum than in a thermal energy spectrum as in water reactors

(Fig. 1). Higher number of emitted neutrons meant more neutrons available for
conversion of U238 to Pu 239.

Fig.1 Neutron Yield of various Fissile Materials

Hence the idea of a breeder reactor operating on fast neutrons was born to
effectively utilize the U238. It was found possible to breed with thermal
reactors, and the Th232-U233 cycle was determined to be better cycle for
thermal breeding.
1.3 COMPONENTS OF FAST REACTORS
Fast Reactors basically consist of the reactor core where heat is generated due to
fission and cooled by sodium, referred to as primary sodium (Fig. 2). The heat is
transferred to another sodium system in a sodium to sodium heat exchanger
(Intermediate Heat Exchanger IHX). This sodium referred to as secondary
sodium, in turn transfers heat to water in a steam generator, where steam is
produced to run a turbine generator. The sodium is circulated by means of
pumps. In view of the use of liquid metal coolants like mercury, Nak, sodium,
these reactors are generally referred to as Liquid Metal Cooled Fast Breeder
Reactors (LMFBR).

.
Fig.2. Fast Reactor Schematic
1.4 OVERVIEW OF FAST REACTOR PROGRAMMES
The fast reactors in the world are brought out in table1. Though the feasibility of
fast breeder reactors was proved with the construction and operation of
experimental reactors like Clementine ,EBR-I, EBR II , Lampre, Fermi in USA,
BR-5, BR-10 in Russia, and DFR in UK, there was no effort to go for
commercial power reactors till the 60s. when it was assessed that the natural
uranium resources would not be sufficient to proceed with water reactors.Also
the cost of uranium started to increase. The need was felt to go in for breeders to
effectively utilize the U238 present natural uranium. The French had built the
40 MWt RAPSODIE reactor and Russians had operated BOR-60 reactor with
Power generation in the 60s. A 250 MWe Power reactor PHENIX was
commissioned by French in 1973. Around the same time the British
commissioned their 250 MWe Prototype Fast Reactor(PFR). The Russians built
the BN 350 plant in Kazhakastan.The uniqueness of this plant was that, part of
its steam generation(~150MWe) was utilized for water desalination. The
Germans and Japanese started with their experimental reactors KNK and Joyo
at this time. The USA built a large experimental reactor for testing fuels called
Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF).Then came BN-600 plant in Russia, followed by
1200 MWe SUPER PHENIX reactor in France. SUPER PHENIX was built by a
consortium of companies from France, Germany and Italy. The 40 MWt Fast
Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) was commissioned in 1985 in India.
Unfortunately two reactors CRBRP in USA and SNR300 in Germany were built
but not operated due to political opposition. The SUPER PHENIX reactor
plant also after some operation was shutdown due to political conditions. Japan

built and operated a 300 MWe power reactor MONJU. The European Fast
Reactor of 1500 MWe was designed by France, UK and Germany jointly in the
90s. However due to lack of demand for new power resources and the finding of
new natural uranium resources, fast breeder programme in these countries to
slow down.
Effect of green house gases emitted by coal plants and the consequent effects of
global warming, acid rain etc. led to renewed interest in nuclear power in
developed countries. This resulted in world countries coming together to decide
the types of reactor that must be built in future, called Generation IV reactors. It
is to be noted that the sodium cooled fast reactors are potential candidates
favoured by all countries. The countries pursuing the Fast Breeder programme
presently are Japan, Russia and India, Korea and China. In India there is
vigorous attention being paid to Breeder Reactors essentially due to absence of
sufficient natural uranium resources, constraints in getting the same in the world
market and availability of abundant resources of Thorium. Effective utilisation
of natural uranium resources is possible only with Fast Breeder Reactors.
1.6 Closure
The following chapters give description of the various components of FBRs and
their design objectives. Chapter 2 is devoted to the Core design, chapter 3 gives
the physical and chemical properties of sodium and chapter 4 deals with reactor
assembly thermal hydraulics. Chapter 5 brings out all aspects of the heat
transport system design, while chapters 6 and 7 deal with sodium
instrumentation and Safety aspects of design respectively. Chapter 8 gives an
overview of Breeder programme in India.

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