Lesson plan
SEFOR
The Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor (SEFOR) was an experimental sodium-cooled fast reactor located in Strickler, Arkansas, approximately 18 miles southwest of Fayetteville. It operated from 1969 to 1972, when its experimental program ended. It was then acquired by the University of Arkansas in 1975, in the hope that it could be used as a research facility. SEFOR was a 20 MW th reactor, generating heat but not electricity. It was fueled with mixed-oxide fuel, and was funded by the US Atomic Energy Commission to test whether Doppler broadening would stabilize the core during an accident. The predicted effect was confirmed, and results from SEFOR were used in later fast breeder reactor designs. The reactor was privately operated by General Electric and funded by the United States government through the Southwest Atomic Energy Associates, a nonprofit consortium formed by 17 power companies of the Southwest Power Pool and several European nuclear agencies. A proposal for funding to extend SEFOR's operation to 1977 was rejected prior to its closure in 1972. The fuel and irradiated sodium coolant were removed and taken offsite later in 1972, and the facility was placed in safe storage. The reactor was acquired by the University of Arkansas in 1975, and was used to calibrate equipment and as a research tool.…
Article summary
The Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor (SEFOR) was an experimental sodium-cooled fast reactor located in Strickler, Arkansas, approximately 18 miles southwest of Fayetteville. It operated from 1969 to 1972, when its experimental program ended. It was then acquired by the University of Arkansas in 1975, in the hope that it could be used as a research facility. SEFOR was a 20 MW th reactor, generating heat but not electricity. It was fueled with mixed-oxide fuel, and was funded by the US Atomic Energy Commission to test whether Doppler broadening would stabilize the core during an accident. The predicted effect was confirmed, and results from SEFOR were used in later fast breeder reactor designs. The reactor was privately operated by General Electric and funded by the United States government through the Southwest Atomic Energy Associates, a nonprofit consortium formed by 17 power companies of the Southwest Power Pool and several European nuclear agencies. A proposal for funding to extend SEFOR's operation to 1977 was rejected prior to its closure in 1972. The fuel and irradiated sodium coolant were removed and taken offsite later in 1972, and the facility was placed in safe storage. The reactor was acquired by the University of Arkansas in 1975, and was used to calibrate equipment and as a research tool.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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