Fast Spectrum Reactors
Fast Spectrum Reactors presents a detailed overview of world-wide technology contributing to the development of fast spectrum reactors. With a unique focus on the capabilities of fast spectrum reactors to address nuclear waste transmutation issues, in add
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Alan E. Waltar · Donald R. Todd · Pavel V. Tsvetkov Editors
Fast Spectrum Reactors
Foreword by Jacques Bouchard
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Editors Alan E. Waltar Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Retired Richland, WA 98847, USA [email protected]
Donald R. Todd NuScale Power, Inc. Corvallis, OR 97330, USA [email protected]
Pavel V. Tsvetkov Zachry Engineering Center MS3133 Department of Nuclear Engineering Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-3133, USA [email protected]
ISBN 978-1-4419-9571-1 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-9572-8 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-9572-8 Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London Library of Congress Control Number: 2011935931 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Foreword
It is very timely that Alan Waltar, Donald Todd and Pavel Tsvetkov have undertaken the effort to update the classic Fast Breeder Reactor text, written in 1981 by Alan Waltar and Albert Reynolds. Indeed, there is presently a strong and growing interest in building new nuclear plants as part of the carbon-free solution to the world energy needs and this brings the question of long term supplies, leading to the development of fast breeder reactors. Energy, in abundant and affordable supplies, is universally recognized as basic to the advancement, and indeed survivability, of humanity. The progress of civilization can clearly be traced to the discovery and adoption of new energy sources that have relieved human drudgery and allowed more time for enhancing the quality of life. The energy needs are still growing, in relation with the increase of the world population and also to reduce the important fraction of humanity, near 25% today, which yet has access to any organized energy network. Unfortunately, most of the energy we use today is coming from burning fossil fuels, resources that are in finite supply and not evenly distributed throughout the globe. Furthermore, the continual burning of carbon based fuels is widely considered to be polluting our atmosphere, in particular by enhancing the greenhouse effect, thus creating serious concerns about the risks associated with climate change. The electrical component is a growing part of our total energy consumption, currently based nearly 70% upon the bur
