Experience from a collocated fast reactor fuel cycle

Experience of the DFR fast reactor operation (in Dunrey, Great Britain) together with the facilities of the external fuel cycle is given. The aim of collocation of the fast reactor and the corresponding mettalurgical, chemical and technical production is to minimize the quantity of the deficite and expensive highly enriched fuel, to simplify the methods of fuel improvement of different enaichment and composition, to obviate the difficulties. The DFR thermal power is 60 MW, the coolant is sodium, the fuel is highly enriched uranium in the form of molybdenum alloy. The technology of fuel production and reprocessing are given in brief. The conclusion is made that although total collocalization of the fuel cycle minimizes fissible material transportations and their debts in the cycle, the sizes of such a nuclear-energy park would be limited by the requirements of the energy system ( 5-6 mln. kW)