I'll give you three:
1) The basics, and why they were conceived in the first place:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...-breeder-react
2) On page 12 of this pdf there is a table which shows the major breeder reactors and when they were operational (and which ones still are).
http://www.fissilematerials.org/ipfm/site_down/rr08.pdf
3) For you ecomonics buffs, one with a more geophysical/economic slant:
http://www.sustainablenuclear.org/PA...11983cohen.pdf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12946951
A quote:
If there's a similar crack in the containment vessel at reactor 3, it wouldn't surprise me to see Pu239 in the immediate vicinity.
Sure......
Under normal cir stances, metallic Zirconium (Zr) doesn't react with air (very quickly that is). At high temps though (like those found in a meltdown or partial meltdown) it will react quickly through the following reaction:
Zr + 2 H2O → ZrO2 + 2 H2
Two major things because of this:
1) The hydrogen gas (H2) which was released mixed with O2 to cause the explosions which tore the outer roofs off of the reactors.
2) About 10-20% of the hydrogen gas then recats directly with the zirconium to form Zn-hydrides. Those hydrides have significantly less tensile strength than the metal, and the cladding weakens (we call it embrittlement) causing the fuel inside to be exposed to the environment.
So because of the explosion and the weakened state of the cladding, we have a situation where seawater is being sprayed DIRECTLY onto the fuel.
Understand that when created, the fuel is sintered into fine pellets. Now that those pellets are exposed to continuous and copious amounts of seawater being sprayed on them, they fall off and to the bottom of the containment vessel.
Unfortunately with an 8 inch crack, this means that those pellets are now free to the environment.