Evening star., 1960-06-19

been devised.
Consolidated Edison's huge
Indian Point IN. Y.) reactoI
is a rather conservative de-
parture from the Shippingport
and Vallecitos types. But il
differs from them in two i'm
portant respects:
First, instead of making plu-
tonium out of uranium -238 ir
the outer layers of the reactor
Indian Point will convert tho
4ium into uranium-233. Cor
Sd likes thorium because, while
relatively untried, it is a free
market commodity and is not
rigidly controlled by the Atomic
Energy Commission.
Second, Indian Point rather
surprisingly hooks a standard
oil-burning superheater into its
steam system. Purpose of this
is to get steam for the turbo-
generator at degrees of tenn
2erature and drynesS demanded
by modern steam technology
Atomic reactors as now used
Eroduce rather wet, low-preS-
sure steam. The Superheatel
is a cheap, convenient way oi
getting around this short
coming.
Fermi Plant Is Controversial
Probably the most advanced
and most controversial reactol
in construction is the Enricc
Fermi plant south of Detroit
This reactor has been a storm
center ever since a group oi
utilities associated with De.
troit Edison started planning
for it. Its principal proponent
is Walker Cisler, president ot
Detroit Edison; the chief an.
tagonist is Walter P. Reuther
president of the United Auto
Workers.
(The fate of the Fermi
plant, now well along to COM
pletion, was placed in doubt
June 10 by a United States
Court of Appeals decision.
The court Cancelled the
plants construction permit,
ruling that public health and
safety were not sufficiently
assured. This has been the
contention of the UAW,
which has fought construc-
ton of the reactor every step
of the way.)
The Fermi plant is known
technically as a "faSt-breedel
reactor." Fast" refers not tt
the speed of the process BY
which power is obtained, but tt
the speed of the neutrons ir
the reaction.
The plants name and con.
cept memorialize the great
physicist, Enrico Fermi, WHIT
built the first atomic pile" a
Chicago in 1912. Fermi oh,
served that "the country which
first develops a breeder reactol
will have a great competitive
advantage in atomic energy"
Burn 10 Tons. Get IL"
The operation OF a breede
reactor has been hkened t,
burning 10 tons Of coal ant
finding IL tons of new fuel il
the ashes" 1t takes advantage
of the fact that while uranium
238 does not fission, plutoniun
does-and plutonium can b
made from uranium -233.
The Fermi plants rational
is that while other power re
actors are burning the world
limited. precious store of uran
ium-235, a breeder reactor vii
operate on plutonium. and con
tinually create more than
uses.
The breeding" reaction de
pends on the ability of a fission
able material, like plutonium, t,
provide fast neutrons and tn
ability of a fertile material
like uranium -238, to soak thos
neutrons up and be transforme,
into plutonium. The ratio O
new plutonium created to oil,
plutonium used up must b
greater than 1-to-1 if the breed
ing reaction is to be success
full. The men behind tn
Fermi reactor calculate tha
the ratio will be 1.2-to-1.
Start is Slow
This bootstrap operation wi
take some time to get started
Plutonium power technology
even more rudimentary tha.
the technology of uranium -23
electrical generation. Th
Fermi plants first years G
operation will be with U-23
as the critical-mass materia
Only later. after more is know
about handling it, will pluto
mum be introduced as tn
seed"
Because the operation Of tn
Fermi plant depends on fast
moving neutrons, the reactc
cannot have a moderate
which would slow neutror
down. Yet it must have
coolant.
The Fermi plants coolar
is liquid sodium, a silver
metal which is one of the tw
chemical constituents of ord
nary table salt. This novt
coolant has certain advantage
over water, one being that
remains liquid at ordinar
pressures even when its ten
perature is we'll over 1000 de
grees Fahrenheit.
Sodium Has Drawbacks
While sodium has the ao
vantage of being able to carr
a lot of heat, it also has ce1
tain disadvantages. Circulat
ing through a reactor, it be
comes f1ercely radioactive an
cannot be placed in contaC
with a steam loop into tn