Talk:Integral Fast Reactor
Argonne Lab
This article is shaping up nicely. Would it be feasible to provide at least a stub to describe a little bit about Argonne Lab, the company that created this design? Ideally, where the company is, how long they've existed, any other designs they are associated with, how funded, etc. Pat Palmer (talk) 08:41, 17 April 2023 (CDT)
- Roger Blomquist is the perfect author for this, recently retired from Argonne where he was in charge of public relations. The book Plentiful Energy by Till and Chang has an excellent review of the history of the lab, the politics, and this reactor design.
- The other thing I would like to see in this article is links to information on new designs that are based on the IFR work. I'm thinking especially of the Natrium reactor Terrapower and Bill Gates for many years were pursuing what appears to be an impossible design, the Travelling Wave Reactor. Now they are focused on Natrium, not surprising given the work that was done by Argonne, proving out all the key features. After reading Till and Chang, it is hard for me to imagine any major improvements. David MacQuigg (talk) 12:12, 18 April 2023 (CDT)
Readiness of this design
The National Academy of Sciences has just come out with a new report Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors in the United States. They have concluded that this design needs a lot more work.
From the Summary:
P.1) demonstrations of advanced nuclear designs are not expected until the late 2020s or early 2030s,
P.2) SFRs and HTGRs will need to address supply chain and high-assay low-enrichment uranium (HALEU) issues and operational reliability, which have impacted those designs in the past.
... for example, reactor core materials and cladding.
From Chapter 2, Finding 2-5) ... More mature concepts, such as ... small modular sodium fast reactors, and ... might be technically ready for demonstration by the end of this decade.
David MacQuigg (talk) 15:50, 5 May 2023 (CDT)