This book is a revision and extension of Fast Breeder Reactors: An Engineering Introduction, published in 1981. I have rewritten much of it in the light of developments in fast reactor technology that have taken place in the subsequent three decades, and to take account of the new applications for fast reactors that have been suggested.

It is intended for the newcomer to the study of fast reactors, either as a student or at a later stage of his or her career. It will probably be most useful to someone who already has some knowledge of nuclear reactors. There are many excellent introductory texts for the beginner in nuclear engineering but they all concentrate on thermal reactors. The purpose of this book is to provide an up-to-date account of fast reactors for those who want to take the next step.

Fast reactor technology has become a wide field, so wide that it is not possible to cover all of it in depth in a single book of reasonable length. What I have attempted is to cover the whole in sufficient detail to allow the reader to understand the important features, and to provide suitable references for further study. I have gone into detail on the neutron physics because any fast reactor engineer, whether he or she is a designer, an operator or a researcher, needs to understand how the machinery works at a basic level. I have also attempted to include the results of experience, often hard-won, of operating a fast reactor power station.