What is liquid metal fast breeder reactor?
What is liquid metal fast breeder reactor?
The liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) is a nuclear reactor that has been modified to increase the efficiency at which non-fissionable uranium-238 is converted to fissionable plutonium-239, which can be used as fuel in the production of nuclear power .
What are the advantages of the liquid metal fast breeder reactors?
Additionally, the high temperature of the liquid metal can be used to produce vapour at higher temperature than in a water cooled reactor, leading to a higher thermodynamic efficiency. This makes them attractive for improving power output in conventional nuclear power plants.
What is the main function of breeder reactor?
Breeder reactor, nuclear reactor that produces more fissionable material than it consumes to generate energy. This special type of reactor is designed to extend the nuclear fuel supply for electric power generation.
Which is India’s first fast breeder reactor?
The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is a 500 MWe fast breeder nuclear reactor presently being constructed at the Madras Atomic Power Station in Kalpakkam, India….Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor.
| PFBR | |
|---|---|
| Reactor line | IFBR (Indian fast-breeder Reactor) |
| Designed by | IGCAR |
| Manufactured by | BHAVINI |
| Status | Under development |
What metal would you choose to cool a fast breeder reactor?
In 2006 all large-scale fast breeder reactor (FBR) power stations were liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR) cooled by liquid sodium.
Why is a liquid metal the preferred coolant in fast breeder reactor?
A liquid metal fast breeder reactor is so named because during conversion of the fertile material into fissile material use is made of high-energy (“fast”) neutrons and the coolant employed is sodium, which remains in the liquid state (“liquid metal”) at the prevailing high working temperatures.
How many fast breeder reactors are there?
About 20 fast neutron reactors (FNR) have already been operating, some since the 1950s, and some supplying electricity commercially. Over 400 reactor-years of operating experience has been accumulated. Fast reactors more deliberately use the uranium-238 as well as the fissile U-235 isotope used in most reactors.
What does liquid metal reactor mean?
A liquid metal cooled reactor is an advanced type of nuclear reactor where the primary coolant is a liquid metal. Liquid metals can be used as a coolant because they have excellent heat transfer properties and can be employed in low-pressure systems as is the case of sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs).
Does a breeder reactor use uranium as a fuel?
There are two categories of breeder reactors, based on the speed of the neutrons. Fast breeder reactors which use uranium-238 as fuel and thermal breeder reactors which use thorium-232 as fuel.
What is a fast breeder reactor?
A Fast Breeder Reactor is a reactor that uses fast (high energy) neutrons to fission its fuel and to convert some non fissile materials in the fuel into fissile materials (these are know as fertile materials). This requires very careful neutron conservation since you can’t afford to waste any.
What is nuclear coolant?
1670 °C. A nuclear reactor coolant is a coolant in a nuclear reactor used to remove heat from the nuclear reactor core and transfer it to electrical generators and the environment. Frequently, a chain of two coolant loops are used because the primary coolant loop takes on short-term radioactivity from the reactor.