Sodium Fast Reactor
Liquid Metal family · Generation IV · Demonstration
Liquid-sodium-cooled fast reactors can breed fuel and burn long-lived waste. Decades of test experience (EBR-II) but limited commercial deployment.
How it works — schematic
🚧 Diagram in progress Simplified schematic for orientation, not an engineering drawing — we're actively refining these for accuracy.
Key specs
- Coolant
- Liquid sodium
- Moderator
- None (fast spectrum)
- Fuel
- Metal or oxide, higher enrichment / Pu
- Spectrum
- Fast
- Outlet temp
- ~500–550 °C
- Status
- Demonstration
Real-world examples
- • TerraPower Natrium
- • EBR-II (historic)
- • Russia BN-800
Strengths
- + Can breed fuel / burn actinides
- + Low-pressure coolant
- + High temperature
Trade-offs
- – Sodium reacts with air and water
- – Opaque coolant complicates inspection
- – Historically costly