Rapsodie was an experimental
nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a Nuclear fission, fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for Nuclear power, commercial electricity, nuclear marine propulsion, marine propulsion, Weapons-grade plutonium, weapons ...
built in
Cadarache
Cadarache () in Southern France is the largest technological research and development centre for energy in Europe. It includes French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, CEA research activities and ITER. CEA Cadarache is one of th ...
in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
It was France's first fast reactor, and first achieved criticality in 1967. Rapsodie was a sodium-cooled fast neutron
loop-type reactor with a thermal output of 40MW and no electrical generation facilities, and closed in 1983.
Rapsodie was operated in conditions considered representative of a commercial plant in terms of temperatures (inlet , outlet ) and neutron flux (3.2e15n/cm^2/s), and served to prove many elements used in later, larger,
breeder reactor
A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile material than it consumes. These reactors can be fueled with more-commonly available isotopes of uranium and thorium, such as uranium-238 and thorium-232, as opposed to the ...
s.
Rapsodie operated for 15 years, and suffered two leaks, a sodium micro leak in 1978 that was so small it was never found, and a nitrogen gas leak in 1982.
Rapsodie is currently in Stage 2 decommissioning.
See also
*
Fast neutron reactor
A fast-neutron reactor (FNR) or fast-spectrum reactor or simply a fast reactor is a category of nuclear reactor in which the fission nuclear chain reaction, chain reaction is sustained by fast neutrons (carrying energies above 1 Electronvolt, MeV, ...
References
Nuclear research reactors
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