b'4.5 GENERALA Strategy for Establishing a Fast Reactor Testbed without a Domestic Fast Spectrum Test ReactorPrincipal Investigators: Nicolas WoolstenhulmeTeam Members/ Collaborators: Colby Jensen, Casey Jesse, Austin CarterThe BEAST designA dvanced reactor researchersfor TREAT and transient furnace rallied at the prospect of acapabilities in collocated hot cells. will enable ATR- much-needed fast spectrumIn just a few years a full suite of SFR based irradiation oftest reactor in the United States, buttransient testing capabilities will be advanced fuel designsenthusiasm is beginning to waneestablished. Irradiated specimens in prototypic-length fuelfor the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR)retained from the historic Integral pins and representativeas meaningful congressional budgetFast Reactor program will support flux environment tosupport continues to be deferred.many valuable tests, but these speci-support post irradiationThe future is uncertain, and hopemens do not represent modern fuel exams, enable transientstill endures for the VTR, but at thisdesign modifications and advance-testing, and permittime it is clear that Advanced Fuelsments of interest to the community.LTA irradiations in trueCampaign (AFC) must formulateThere are currently no operating fast sodium fast reactors. a success strategy without a fastspectrum reactors available in the spectrum test reactor in the UnitedUS or countries where collaborations States. Recent developments forare politically feasible. However, transient testing capabilities inTerraPower continues to move the Transient Reactor Test facilityforward with their plans to construct (TREAT) and investigations intothe Natrium reactor in Wyoming flux hardening capabilities in theand efforts are underway to resume Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) lendoperation of the Joyo reactor in credence to a fuel maturationJapan. Either of these reactors could pathway which culminates in fueloffer a prototypic environment for performance data adequate to enablelead test assembly (LTA) irradiations lead test assembly irradiations inon advanced SFR fuel designs, but Sodium Fast Reactors (SFR) licensedneither of these reactors will be by the Nuclear Regulatory Commis- licensed in the same was as DOEs Figure 1. Neutron flux spectrumsion (NRC) and/or foreign regulators. test reactors. It is expected that a in test pins Project Description:higher level of performance data The capability for safety testing(e.g., license amendment request) SFR fuels in TREAT has beenwill be needed enable LTA irradia-recently revived with sodium heattions in these reactors, especially for sink capsules while other projectshighly novel fuel designs. Thus, the continue to press forward withkey gap is the ability to accumulate deployment of a flow sodium loopburnup on full-size SFR fuel pins in 160 2022|AFC ACCOMPLISHMENTS'