South Korea and the United States will begin joint research on sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFR). The sodium-cooled fast reactor is a type of small modular reactor (SMR) that uses liquid sodium as a coolant instead of water. It is a next-generation reactor with high thermal efficiency and safety.
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute recently announced on the 27th that it has started joint research with the Argonne National Laboratory in the United States to develop core technologies for advanced modeling, simulation, and verification of sodium-cooled fast reactors. The institute has a facility (STELLA) to prove the safety by simulating accidents involving sodium-cooled fast reactors. Both sides plan to verify reactor data and evaluate the safety of sodium-cooled fast reactors over the next three years.
Both sides plan to secure essential data necessary to finalize the sodium-cooled fast reactor technology. The institute notes that it can create safety verification data that can be used for the approval of sodium-cooled fast reactor development.
The Argonne National Laboratory is a national research institution under the U.S. Department of Energy, established in 1946. It develops fundamental nuclear physics and nuclear technology. Jo Jin-young, head of the Sunjin Reactor Research Institute at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, said, "We have provided an opportunity to accelerate the development of small modular reactors based on sodium-cooled fast reactors."