Vienna: IAEA, 2007?. — 272 p. — IAEA-TECDOC-1569. — ISBN 978–92–0–107907–7, ISSN 1011–4289.In 2002, within the framework of the Department of Nuclear Energy’s Technical Working
Group on Fast Reactors (TWG-FR), and according to the expressed needs of the TWG-FR
Member States to maintain and increase the present knowledge and expertise in fast reactor
science and technology, the IAEA established its initiative seeking to establish a
comprehensive, international inventory of fast reactor data and knowledge. More generally, at
the IAEA meeting of senior officials convened to address issues of nuclear knowledge
management underlying the safe and economic use of nuclear science and technology
(Vienna, 17–19 June 2002), there was widespread agreement that, for sustainability reasons
for fissile sources and waste management, long-term development of nuclear power as a part
of the world’s future energy mix will require the fast reactor technology. Furthermore, given
the decline in fast reactor development projects, data retrieval and knowledge preservation
efforts in this area are of particular importance. This consensus concluded from the
recognition of immediate need gave support to the IAEA initiative for fast reactor data and
knowledge presevation.
To implement the IAEA initiative, the scope of fast reactor knowledge preservation activities
and a road map for implementation have been developed. The IAEA supports and coordinates
data retrieval and interpretation efforts in the Member States joining the initiative and ensures
the collaboration with other international organizations (mainly OECD/NEA) and eventually
establishes and maintains a portal for accessing the fast reactor knowledge base.
The IAEA assists Member State activities by providing an umbrella for information exchange
and collaborative R&D to pool resources and expertise within the framework of the TWG-FR
and the Agency’s International Nuclear Information System (INIS) and Nuclear Knowledge
Management Section (NKMS). The IAEA collects and summarizes the scientific and
technical information on key fast reactor technology aspects in an integrative sense useful to
engineers, scientists, managers, university students and professors.
This publication has been prepared to contribute toward the IAEA activity to preserve the
knowledge gained in the liquid metal cooled fast reactor (LMFR) technology development.
This technology development and experience include aspects addressing not only
experimental and demonstration reactors, but also all activities from reactor construction to
decommissioning. This publication provides a survey of worldwide experience gained over
the past five decades in LMFR development, design, operation and decommissioning, which
has been accumulated through the IAEA programmes carried out within the framework of the
TWG-FR and the Agency’s INIS and NKMS.
The IAEA appreciate the advice and support of the IAEA’s TWG-FR members in the
preparation of the publication. The draft of the report, compiled by A. Rineiskii (consultant),
in cooperation with W. Mandl, A. Badulescu and Y.I. Kim of the IAEA, has been reviewed by
the TWG-FR Members of China, France, India, Japan, Republic of Korea and the Russian
Federation. The work was guided by the IAEA officers A. Stanculescu and Y. Yanev and they
are responsible for this publication.
