Fast Reactors and Problems in Their Development

Abstract

I want to discuss here the main differences between fast reactors, in particular the liquid-metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR), and thermal reactors. As a physicist, I take the view, based on the intrinsic physics of the systems, that fast reactors should be considered as a different genus from thermal reactors. I hope that a discussion from this viewpoint will illustrate some of the problems of fast reactor development. I should also like to introduce to non-specialists some of the features characteristic of fast reactors, as this information is not readily available outside the technical literature. Finally, I shall draw some conclusions for fast reactor development generally and for the British programme in particular. These conclusions will be almost identical to those reached by John Surrey¹ even though he approached the problem as an economist, not as a physicist.