[en] The need for a new steady-state thermal neutron source of unprecedented intensity has been the subject of numerous national meetings and discussion. The National Research Council Committee on Major Facilities for Materials Research recently issued a high priority recommendation that site-independent design studies for such a facility begin immediately. The high intensity neutron sources is projected to open new frontiers in the use of neutrons as a probe in various aspects of materials and biological research and fundamental physics. The challenge put forth by the research community is to produce a source with a tenfold increase in intensity over any currently operating or planned facility and, therefore, to thrust the thermal neutron flux intensity into the 10¹⁶ n/(cm²s) range. The purpose of the recent Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) activities in this area has been to identify and examine the limitations and the capabilities of the historically well-characterized plate-fuel technology to achieve the required performance levels in a user-friendly environment. Workbench design concepts were identified, upon which constraints and performance limitations could be evaluated and parametric trade-off analyses and preliminary design optimization studies could be performed. Although considerable optimization remains to be performed and a large number of cost/benefit trade-offs exist, it appears that a reactor core with innovative geometry, constructed of plate-type fuel elements, can achieve, the 10¹⁶ n/(cm²s) l thermal flux level in a large external volume which has the quality and accessibility for beam research