Editing Integral fast reactor (section)

==Efficiency and fuel cycle==
{{Medium-lived fission products}}

The goals of the IFR project were to increase the efficiency of uranium usage by [[Fast breeder|breeding]] plutonium and to eliminate the need for [[transuranic]] isotopes to ever leave the site. The reactor was an unmoderated design running on [[fast neutron]]s, designed to allow any transuranic isotope to be consumed (and in some cases used as fuel).

Compared to current light-water reactors with a once-through fuel cycle that induces fission (and derives energy) from less than 1% of the uranium found in nature, a breeder reactor like the IFR has a very efficient fuel cycle (99.5% of uranium undergoes fission{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}).<ref name="berkeley">{{cite web|url=http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/designs/ifr/anlw.html |title=An Introduction to Argonne National Laboratory's INTEGRAL FAST REACTOR (IFR) PROGRAM |date=2007-10-09 |access-date=2014-01-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915154414/http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/designs/ifr/anlw.html |archive-date=September 15, 2008 }}</ref> The basic scheme uses [[Pyroelectricity|pyroelectric]] separation, a common method in other [[Metallurgy|metallurgical]] processes, to remove transuranics and actinides from the wastes and concentrate them. These concentrated fuels are then reformed, on-site, into new fuel elements.

The available fuel metals are never separated from the [[plutonium isotope]]s nor from all the fission products,<ref name="youtube.com"/>{{better source|date=July 2014}} and are therefore relatively difficult to use in nuclear weapons. Also, as plutonium never has to leave the site, it is far less open to unauthorized diversion.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuunX3Oc4n4 |title=Roger Blomquist of ANL (Argonne National Lab) on IFR (Integral Fast Reactor) @ TEAC6 . Stated at ~ 17:30|website=[[YouTube]] |date=12 July 2014 }}</ref>

Another important benefit of removing the long-[[half-life]] transuranics from the waste cycle is that the remaining waste becomes a much shorter-term hazard. After the [[actinide]]s ([[reprocessed uranium]], [[plutonium]], and [[minor actinides]]) are recycled, the remaining [[radioactive waste]] isotopes are [[fission products]] – with half-lives of 90&nbsp;years ([[Sm-151]]) and less, or 211,100 years ([[Tc-99]]) and more – plus any [[activation product]]s from the non-fuel reactor components.