ADVANCE ASHORE

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30287, 13 November 1963, Page 17

ADVANCE ASHORE

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LEMONT (Illinois), Nov. 12. The United States Atomic Energy Commission announces that an experimental reactor which makes its own nuclear fuel achieved its first self-sustaining chain reaction yesterday. The reactor, situated near Idaho Falls, is said to be “economically attractive" for production of electricity. The new reactor started its activity with expensive nuclear fuel, uranium 235, but produced more of a dif ferent fuel, plutonium, than it consumes, and can be oper-

ated later on toe self-pro-duced plutonium. Argonne Laboratory designed and built the 35 mil-lion-dollar reactor which can produce 62.500,000 watts of heat capable of being converted to 20 million watte of electricity (20 megawatts) through a conventional steam generator cycle. The experimental plant was built “to demonstrate economic feasibility ,of a completely integrated fastbreeder power plant with on site fuel reprocessing facility.”