{"id":6929,"date":"2024-10-14T15:47:40","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T13:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/?p=6929"},"modified":"2024-10-16T08:41:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T06:41:13","slug":"what-can-we-learn-from-the-history-of-superphenix-historical-research-with-implications-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/articles\/what-can-we-learn-from-the-history-of-superphenix-historical-research-with-implications-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"What can we learn from the history of Superph\u00e9nix? Historical research with implications for the future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\"\"
Photo of Superph\u00e9nix, Creys-Malville nuclear site (Is\u00e8re), September 1997. Credit: Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Sauvage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Advocacy in defense of a certain type of nuclear technology, known as the \u201cbreeder\u201d reactor, has recently made a comeback in the public arena, especially in the wake of the electricity supply crisis of 2022. This technology has fascinated experts since the post-war years<\/a>. The idea behind it is to generate fuel parallel to its consumption, and the nuclear sector has written its own narrative of technology development. However, the way stories of past technologies are told influences how we look ahead to the future. Fast breeder reactor technology has been especially controversial, both within and outside the nuclear power industry. What can we learn from a humanities-based approach to this issue, combining the insights of history, the sociology of decision-making, and more broadly, Science and Technology Studies?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using archives to produce a counter-story of decision-making<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the 1950s, several countries have developed programs of fast-neutron nuclear reactors, one of the components of a \u201cbreeder\u201d nuclear system. Engineers were passionately committed to reactor development, eager to deliver the technology that would supply what appeared to be almost limitless energy. However, scientists and activists warned about the specific risks of this technology<\/a> and the questionable nature of the calculations behind the practical feasibility of achieving this kind of energy future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In France, reactor development reached its apex with an \u201cindustrial-scale prototype\u201d (1,200 MW) called Superph\u00e9nix, located in Creys-Malville, in south-eastern France. On the drawing board in the 1970s, this reactor was started up in 1985, by which time analysts were already questioning the need for this technology in the decades to come. In the early 1990s, as its operation as a prototype became difficult to justify with limited future prospects, it was requalified as a research facility and assessed from several perspectives at the request of the public authorities<\/a>. In 1997, 12 years after its start-up, a change of government led to its shutdown. Proponents of this technology portray the closure as an unexpected turn of events, blaming the decision on electoral politics alone, contrasting it with a rationality held by nuclear engineers and scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A research in the records provides an insight into the considerations that informed the decisions made. Although the timing and modalities of Superph\u00e9nix\u2019s shutdown came as a surprise to the professionals, the shutdown itself was a very real possibility, mooted several times in decision-making circles throughout the 1990s, and scheduled for 2000 at the latest. Drawing on studies in political science<\/a>, my thesis<\/a> research proposes a two-process theory of decision-making: a lengthy behind-the-scenes evaluation process, leading to stabilization or destabilization of the project (depending on whether we are looking at the decision to make or to unmake), followed by a decision-making moment coupled with another public policy issue. The memory nurtured by the nuclear sector tends to reduce the decision-making process to its most visible moment, forgetting the long evaluation process. This generates reconstructions of events that are increasingly distant from what actually happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the relationship between prototypes and the sociotechnical imaginary of breeder reactors?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Superph\u00e9nix prototype gradually became destabilized. By the time it was shut down, it was hanging on by a thread, like the Aramis <\/em>transport project, whose history Bruno Latour chronicled in an outstanding inquiry book<\/a>. The promised future state no longer seemed attainable, while the difficulties that arose during the project led to substantive modifications of the prototype. Let\u2019s take a look at the promised future state and the prototype project, regarding fast breeder reactors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Promoters of these reactors imagine a future of energy abundance, a stationary state in which nuclear materials and fuels would circulate in equilibrium. Since the early days of nuclear power, this vision has been based on an equation describing the possibility of \u201cbreeding\u201d nuclear fuel, that is, producing more fuel than a reactor consumes. Achieving this would require a system of interrelated plants and material transport, of which the fast neutron reactor would be just one element. My thesis research1<\/a><\/sup> suggests that the adjective \u201cbreeder\u201d does not describe a reactor, but a sociotechnical imaginary involving the reactor and these plants. Referring to a reactor as a \u201cbreeder\u201d is a metonymy, since an entire system would actually be required. However, the main focus has always been on the reactors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did the Superph\u00e9nix prototype provide the expected knowledge about a future reactor? The sociology of science and technology has investigated this tricky part of the knowledge-building process, establishing that experimental objects often increase uncertainty. As early as the 1970s, some specialists in these reactors were claiming that Superph\u00e9nix was not an industry-ready model. In the 1990s, scientific reviewers<\/a> questioned both the relevance of Superph\u00e9nix for conducting research and the desired outcome of this research, pointing out that the proposed transformations of nuclear materials would have definite physical consequences, contradicting the vision of \u201cequilibrium\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 2020s, pursuing a long-established discourse, promoters of this technology traced a direct path from Superph\u00e9nix to a possible energy future. However, this was the interpretation of a community, reinforced by the transmission of its own narratives. The distance between the idea and the material plant is such that speaking of the prototype\u2019s \u201csuccess\u201d or \u201cfailure\u201d is not possible without defining the tests needed to make a judgment\u2014tests that are themselves the subject of debate. How, then, can we draw conclusions about the future of these reactors from events that took place at a real plant? It’s a long way from the reactor prototype to the realization of the sociotechnical imaginary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Claude Parent \/ Nuclear power plant, Creys-Malville, 1984. Application of the architectural model to the Creys-Malville site, general view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Re-examining the history of technology in the light of environmental issues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

History is never over, it is constantly being revived, and following the historian David Edgerton, we should not leave the discussions to the promoters of new technology alone: \u201cMuch of what is written on the history of technology is for boys of all ages. This book is a history for grown-ups of all genders. We have lived with technology for a long time, and collectively we know a lot about it. [\u2026] Yet too often the agenda for discussing the past, present and future of technology is set by the promoters of new technologies.\u201d (extract from The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900, <\/em>2007, p. ix<\/a>). Environmental issues call for a closer look at the material footprints of different energy technologies. Analyses of the humanities and social sciences open up a broader perspective on these inherently sociotechnical objects, looking beyond the very moment of decision-making to consider the lengthy evaluation and review process, looking beyond the prototype project to consider the conditions for producing knowledge about the future of these reactors, and looking beyond the reactor alone to consider the massive infrastructure required by the \u201cbreeder\u201d sociotechnical imaginary<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. This point was developed in discussions with Martin Denoun<\/a> and Ange Pottin\u00a0<\/a>. Our three theses, on visions of the future and the materialities associated with French fast breeder reactor policy, were defended in 2021 and 2022. A joint article is due for publication in 2025. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Advocacy in defense of a certain type of nuclear technology, known as the \u201cbreeder\u201d reactor, has recently made a comeback […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":6907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_related_content_post":[],"_related_content_subject":[937,124],"_related_content_author":[6931],"_related_content_category":[1720],"_related_content_folder":[6913],"_excerpt":"Tensions over energy supply in 2022 have sparked renewed interest in \u201cfast-breeder\u201d nuclear reactors. This technology, which is linked to a promise of producing abundant energy, has been the subject of passionate debate since the end of the Second World War. However, the way its story is told influences our vision of the future. This article analyzes the development of fast breeder reactors, in particular the Superph\u00e9nix prototype in France, and examines how the humanities and social sciences can shed light on the stakes involved in this controversial technology.","_duration":5,"_manual_duration":false,"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"This point was developed in discussions with Martin Denoun<\/a> and Ange Pottin\u00a0<\/a>. Our three theses, on visions of the future and the materialities associated with French fast breeder reactor policy, were defended in 2021 and 2022. A joint article is due for publication in 2025.\",\"id\":\"c6160fce-9d11-4107-83d7-17eb506cdb48\"}]"},"article-types":[13,27],"class_list":["post-6929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article-types-article","article-types-folder"],"has_blocks":true,"block_data":[{"blockName":"enpc\/excerpt","attrs":{"lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[],"rendered":""},{"blockName":"core\/image","attrs":{"id":6908,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"wide","blob":"","url":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Image_Jean-Francois_Sauvage-1024x690.jpg","alt":"","caption":"Photo of Superph\u00e9nix, Creys-Malville nuclear site (Is\u00e8re), September 1997. Credit: Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Sauvage","lightbox":[],"title":"","href":"","rel":"","linkClass":"","width":"","height":"","aspectRatio":"","scale":"","linkTarget":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"wp-block-image alignwide size-large","style":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    \"\"
    Photo of Superph\u00e9nix, Creys-Malville nuclear site (Is\u00e8re), September 1997. Credit: Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Sauvage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","innerContent":["\n
    \"\"
    Photo of Superph\u00e9nix, Creys-Malville nuclear site (Is\u00e8re), September 1997. Credit: Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Sauvage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"],"rendered":"\n
    \"\"
    Photo of Superph\u00e9nix, Creys-Malville nuclear site (Is\u00e8re), September 1997. Credit: Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Sauvage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"textColor":"dark-grey","align":"","content":"Advocacy in defense of a certain type of nuclear technology, known as the \u201cbreeder\u201d reactor, has recently made a comeback in the public arena, especially in the wake of the electricity supply crisis of 2022. This technology has fascinated experts since the post-war years. The idea behind it is to generate fuel parallel to its consumption, and the nuclear sector has written its own narrative of technology development. However, the way stories of past technologies are told influences how we look ahead to the future. Fast breeder reactor technology has been especially controversial, both within and outside the nuclear power industry. What can we learn from a humanities-based approach to this issue, combining the insights of history, the sociology of decision-making, and more broadly, Science and Technology Studies?","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"has-dark-grey-color has-text-color","style":"","backgroundColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    Advocacy in defense of a certain type of nuclear technology, known as the \u201cbreeder\u201d reactor, has recently made a comeback in the public arena, especially in the wake of the electricity supply crisis of 2022. This technology has fascinated experts since the post-war years<\/a>. The idea behind it is to generate fuel parallel to its consumption, and the nuclear sector has written its own narrative of technology development. However, the way stories of past technologies are told influences how we look ahead to the future. Fast breeder reactor technology has been especially controversial, both within and outside the nuclear power industry. What can we learn from a humanities-based approach to this issue, combining the insights of history, the sociology of decision-making, and more broadly, Science and Technology Studies?<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    Advocacy in defense of a certain type of nuclear technology, known as the \u201cbreeder\u201d reactor, has recently made a comeback in the public arena, especially in the wake of the electricity supply crisis of 2022. This technology has fascinated experts since the post-war years<\/a>. The idea behind it is to generate fuel parallel to its consumption, and the nuclear sector has written its own narrative of technology development. However, the way stories of past technologies are told influences how we look ahead to the future. Fast breeder reactor technology has been especially controversial, both within and outside the nuclear power industry. What can we learn from a humanities-based approach to this issue, combining the insights of history, the sociology of decision-making, and more broadly, Science and Technology Studies?<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    Advocacy in defense of a certain type of nuclear technology, known as the \u201cbreeder\u201d reactor, has recently made a comeback in the public arena, especially in the wake of the electricity supply crisis of 2022. This technology has fascinated experts since the post-war years<\/a>. The idea behind it is to generate fuel parallel to its consumption, and the nuclear sector has written its own narrative of technology development. However, the way stories of past technologies are told influences how we look ahead to the future. Fast breeder reactor technology has been especially controversial, both within and outside the nuclear power industry. What can we learn from a humanities-based approach to this issue, combining the insights of history, the sociology of decision-making, and more broadly, Science and Technology Studies?<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"textColor":"dark-grey","align":"","content":"","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"has-dark-grey-color has-text-color","style":"","backgroundColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    <\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    <\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    <\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/heading","attrs":{"style":{"elements":{"link":{"color":{"text":"var:preset|color|red"}}}},"textColor":"red","textAlign":"","content":"Using archives to produce a counter-story of decision-making","level":2,"levelOptions":[],"placeholder":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"align":"","className":"wp-block-heading has-red-color has-text-color has-link-color","backgroundColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    Using archives to produce a counter-story of decision-making<\/h2>\n","innerContent":["\n

    Using archives to produce a counter-story of decision-making<\/h2>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    Using archives to produce a counter-story of decision-making<\/h2>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":"Since the 1950s, several countries have developed programs of fast-neutron nuclear reactors, one of the components of a \u201cbreeder\u201d nuclear system. Engineers were passionately committed to reactor development, eager to deliver the technology that would supply what appeared to be almost limitless energy. However, scientists and activists warned about the specific risks of this technology and the questionable nature of the calculations behind the practical feasibility of achieving this kind of energy future.","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    Since the 1950s, several countries have developed programs of fast-neutron nuclear reactors, one of the components of a \u201cbreeder\u201d nuclear system. Engineers were passionately committed to reactor development, eager to deliver the technology that would supply what appeared to be almost limitless energy. However, scientists and activists warned about the specific risks of this technology<\/a> and the questionable nature of the calculations behind the practical feasibility of achieving this kind of energy future.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    Since the 1950s, several countries have developed programs of fast-neutron nuclear reactors, one of the components of a \u201cbreeder\u201d nuclear system. Engineers were passionately committed to reactor development, eager to deliver the technology that would supply what appeared to be almost limitless energy. However, scientists and activists warned about the specific risks of this technology<\/a> and the questionable nature of the calculations behind the practical feasibility of achieving this kind of energy future.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    Since the 1950s, several countries have developed programs of fast-neutron nuclear reactors, one of the components of a \u201cbreeder\u201d nuclear system. Engineers were passionately committed to reactor development, eager to deliver the technology that would supply what appeared to be almost limitless energy. However, scientists and activists warned about the specific risks of this technology<\/a> and the questionable nature of the calculations behind the practical feasibility of achieving this kind of energy future.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":"In France, reactor development reached its apex with an \u201cindustrial-scale prototype\u201d (1,200 MW) called Superph\u00e9nix, located in Creys-Malville, in south-eastern France. On the drawing board in the 1970s, this reactor was started up in 1985, by which time analysts were already questioning the need for this technology in the decades to come. In the early 1990s, as its operation as a prototype became difficult to justify with limited future prospects, it was requalified as a research facility and assessed from several perspectives at the request of the public authorities. In 1997, 12 years after its start-up, a change of government led to its shutdown. Proponents of this technology portray the closure as an unexpected turn of events, blaming the decision on electoral politics alone, contrasting it with a rationality held by nuclear engineers and scientists.","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    In France, reactor development reached its apex with an \u201cindustrial-scale prototype\u201d (1,200 MW) called Superph\u00e9nix, located in Creys-Malville, in south-eastern France. On the drawing board in the 1970s, this reactor was started up in 1985, by which time analysts were already questioning the need for this technology in the decades to come. In the early 1990s, as its operation as a prototype became difficult to justify with limited future prospects, it was requalified as a research facility and assessed from several perspectives at the request of the public authorities<\/a>. In 1997, 12 years after its start-up, a change of government led to its shutdown. Proponents of this technology portray the closure as an unexpected turn of events, blaming the decision on electoral politics alone, contrasting it with a rationality held by nuclear engineers and scientists.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    In France, reactor development reached its apex with an \u201cindustrial-scale prototype\u201d (1,200 MW) called Superph\u00e9nix, located in Creys-Malville, in south-eastern France. On the drawing board in the 1970s, this reactor was started up in 1985, by which time analysts were already questioning the need for this technology in the decades to come. In the early 1990s, as its operation as a prototype became difficult to justify with limited future prospects, it was requalified as a research facility and assessed from several perspectives at the request of the public authorities<\/a>. In 1997, 12 years after its start-up, a change of government led to its shutdown. Proponents of this technology portray the closure as an unexpected turn of events, blaming the decision on electoral politics alone, contrasting it with a rationality held by nuclear engineers and scientists.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    In France, reactor development reached its apex with an \u201cindustrial-scale prototype\u201d (1,200 MW) called Superph\u00e9nix, located in Creys-Malville, in south-eastern France. On the drawing board in the 1970s, this reactor was started up in 1985, by which time analysts were already questioning the need for this technology in the decades to come. In the early 1990s, as its operation as a prototype became difficult to justify with limited future prospects, it was requalified as a research facility and assessed from several perspectives at the request of the public authorities<\/a>. In 1997, 12 years after its start-up, a change of government led to its shutdown. Proponents of this technology portray the closure as an unexpected turn of events, blaming the decision on electoral politics alone, contrasting it with a rationality held by nuclear engineers and scientists.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":"A research in the records provides an insight into the considerations that informed the decisions made. Although the timing and modalities of Superph\u00e9nix\u2019s shutdown came as a surprise to the professionals, the shutdown itself was a very real possibility, mooted several times in decision-making circles throughout the 1990s, and scheduled for 2000 at the latest. Drawing on studies in political science, my thesis research proposes a two-process theory of decision-making: a lengthy behind-the-scenes evaluation process, leading to stabilization or destabilization of the project (depending on whether we are looking at the decision to make or to unmake), followed by a decision-making moment coupled with another public policy issue. The memory nurtured by the nuclear sector tends to reduce the decision-making process to its most visible moment, forgetting the long evaluation process. This generates reconstructions of events that are increasingly distant from what actually happened.","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    A research in the records provides an insight into the considerations that informed the decisions made. Although the timing and modalities of Superph\u00e9nix\u2019s shutdown came as a surprise to the professionals, the shutdown itself was a very real possibility, mooted several times in decision-making circles throughout the 1990s, and scheduled for 2000 at the latest. Drawing on studies in political science<\/a>, my thesis<\/a> research proposes a two-process theory of decision-making: a lengthy behind-the-scenes evaluation process, leading to stabilization or destabilization of the project (depending on whether we are looking at the decision to make or to unmake), followed by a decision-making moment coupled with another public policy issue. The memory nurtured by the nuclear sector tends to reduce the decision-making process to its most visible moment, forgetting the long evaluation process. This generates reconstructions of events that are increasingly distant from what actually happened.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    A research in the records provides an insight into the considerations that informed the decisions made. Although the timing and modalities of Superph\u00e9nix\u2019s shutdown came as a surprise to the professionals, the shutdown itself was a very real possibility, mooted several times in decision-making circles throughout the 1990s, and scheduled for 2000 at the latest. Drawing on studies in political science<\/a>, my thesis<\/a> research proposes a two-process theory of decision-making: a lengthy behind-the-scenes evaluation process, leading to stabilization or destabilization of the project (depending on whether we are looking at the decision to make or to unmake), followed by a decision-making moment coupled with another public policy issue. The memory nurtured by the nuclear sector tends to reduce the decision-making process to its most visible moment, forgetting the long evaluation process. This generates reconstructions of events that are increasingly distant from what actually happened.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    A research in the records provides an insight into the considerations that informed the decisions made. Although the timing and modalities of Superph\u00e9nix\u2019s shutdown came as a surprise to the professionals, the shutdown itself was a very real possibility, mooted several times in decision-making circles throughout the 1990s, and scheduled for 2000 at the latest. Drawing on studies in political science<\/a>, my thesis<\/a> research proposes a two-process theory of decision-making: a lengthy behind-the-scenes evaluation process, leading to stabilization or destabilization of the project (depending on whether we are looking at the decision to make or to unmake), followed by a decision-making moment coupled with another public policy issue. The memory nurtured by the nuclear sector tends to reduce the decision-making process to its most visible moment, forgetting the long evaluation process. This generates reconstructions of events that are increasingly distant from what actually happened.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/heading","attrs":{"style":{"elements":{"link":{"color":{"text":"var:preset|color|red"}}}},"textColor":"red","textAlign":"","content":"What is the relationship between prototypes and the sociotechnical imaginary of breeder reactors?","level":2,"levelOptions":[],"placeholder":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"align":"","className":"wp-block-heading has-red-color has-text-color has-link-color","backgroundColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    What is the relationship between prototypes and the sociotechnical imaginary of breeder reactors?<\/h2>\n","innerContent":["\n

    What is the relationship between prototypes and the sociotechnical imaginary of breeder reactors?<\/h2>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    What is the relationship between prototypes and the sociotechnical imaginary of breeder reactors?<\/h2>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":"The Superph\u00e9nix prototype gradually became destabilized. By the time it was shut down, it was hanging on by a thread, like the Aramis transport project, whose history Bruno Latour chronicled in an outstanding inquiry book. The promised future state no longer seemed attainable, while the difficulties that arose during the project led to substantive modifications of the prototype. Let\u2019s take a look at the promised future state and the prototype project, regarding fast breeder reactors.","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    The Superph\u00e9nix prototype gradually became destabilized. By the time it was shut down, it was hanging on by a thread, like the Aramis <\/em>transport project, whose history Bruno Latour chronicled in an outstanding inquiry book<\/a>. The promised future state no longer seemed attainable, while the difficulties that arose during the project led to substantive modifications of the prototype. Let\u2019s take a look at the promised future state and the prototype project, regarding fast breeder reactors.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    The Superph\u00e9nix prototype gradually became destabilized. By the time it was shut down, it was hanging on by a thread, like the Aramis <\/em>transport project, whose history Bruno Latour chronicled in an outstanding inquiry book<\/a>. The promised future state no longer seemed attainable, while the difficulties that arose during the project led to substantive modifications of the prototype. Let\u2019s take a look at the promised future state and the prototype project, regarding fast breeder reactors.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    The Superph\u00e9nix prototype gradually became destabilized. By the time it was shut down, it was hanging on by a thread, like the Aramis <\/em>transport project, whose history Bruno Latour chronicled in an outstanding inquiry book<\/a>. The promised future state no longer seemed attainable, while the difficulties that arose during the project led to substantive modifications of the prototype. Let\u2019s take a look at the promised future state and the prototype project, regarding fast breeder reactors.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":"Promoters of these reactors imagine a future of energy abundance, a stationary state in which nuclear materials and fuels would circulate in equilibrium. Since the early days of nuclear power, this vision has been based on an equation describing the possibility of \u201cbreeding\u201d nuclear fuel, that is, producing more fuel than a reactor consumes. Achieving this would require a system of interrelated plants and material transport, of which the fast neutron reactor would be just one element. My thesis research1 suggests that the adjective \u201cbreeder\u201d does not describe a reactor, but a sociotechnical imaginary involving the reactor and these plants. Referring to a reactor as a \u201cbreeder\u201d is a metonymy, since an entire system would actually be required. However, the main focus has always been on the reactors.","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    Promoters of these reactors imagine a future of energy abundance, a stationary state in which nuclear materials and fuels would circulate in equilibrium. Since the early days of nuclear power, this vision has been based on an equation describing the possibility of \u201cbreeding\u201d nuclear fuel, that is, producing more fuel than a reactor consumes. Achieving this would require a system of interrelated plants and material transport, of which the fast neutron reactor would be just one element. My thesis research1<\/a><\/sup> suggests that the adjective \u201cbreeder\u201d does not describe a reactor, but a sociotechnical imaginary involving the reactor and these plants. Referring to a reactor as a \u201cbreeder\u201d is a metonymy, since an entire system would actually be required. However, the main focus has always been on the reactors.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    Promoters of these reactors imagine a future of energy abundance, a stationary state in which nuclear materials and fuels would circulate in equilibrium. Since the early days of nuclear power, this vision has been based on an equation describing the possibility of \u201cbreeding\u201d nuclear fuel, that is, producing more fuel than a reactor consumes. Achieving this would require a system of interrelated plants and material transport, of which the fast neutron reactor would be just one element. My thesis research1<\/a><\/sup> suggests that the adjective \u201cbreeder\u201d does not describe a reactor, but a sociotechnical imaginary involving the reactor and these plants. Referring to a reactor as a \u201cbreeder\u201d is a metonymy, since an entire system would actually be required. However, the main focus has always been on the reactors.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    Promoters of these reactors imagine a future of energy abundance, a stationary state in which nuclear materials and fuels would circulate in equilibrium. Since the early days of nuclear power, this vision has been based on an equation describing the possibility of \u201cbreeding\u201d nuclear fuel, that is, producing more fuel than a reactor consumes. Achieving this would require a system of interrelated plants and material transport, of which the fast neutron reactor would be just one element. My thesis research1<\/a><\/sup> suggests that the adjective \u201cbreeder\u201d does not describe a reactor, but a sociotechnical imaginary involving the reactor and these plants. Referring to a reactor as a \u201cbreeder\u201d is a metonymy, since an entire system would actually be required. However, the main focus has always been on the reactors.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":"Did the Superph\u00e9nix prototype provide the expected knowledge about a future reactor? The sociology of science and technology has investigated this tricky part of the knowledge-building process, establishing that experimental objects often increase uncertainty. As early as the 1970s, some specialists in these reactors were claiming that Superph\u00e9nix was not an industry-ready model. In the 1990s, scientific reviewers questioned both the relevance of Superph\u00e9nix for conducting research and the desired outcome of this research, pointing out that the proposed transformations of nuclear materials would have definite physical consequences, contradicting the vision of \u201cequilibrium\u201d.","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    Did the Superph\u00e9nix prototype provide the expected knowledge about a future reactor? The sociology of science and technology has investigated this tricky part of the knowledge-building process, establishing that experimental objects often increase uncertainty. As early as the 1970s, some specialists in these reactors were claiming that Superph\u00e9nix was not an industry-ready model. In the 1990s, scientific reviewers<\/a> questioned both the relevance of Superph\u00e9nix for conducting research and the desired outcome of this research, pointing out that the proposed transformations of nuclear materials would have definite physical consequences, contradicting the vision of \u201cequilibrium\u201d.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    Did the Superph\u00e9nix prototype provide the expected knowledge about a future reactor? The sociology of science and technology has investigated this tricky part of the knowledge-building process, establishing that experimental objects often increase uncertainty. As early as the 1970s, some specialists in these reactors were claiming that Superph\u00e9nix was not an industry-ready model. In the 1990s, scientific reviewers<\/a> questioned both the relevance of Superph\u00e9nix for conducting research and the desired outcome of this research, pointing out that the proposed transformations of nuclear materials would have definite physical consequences, contradicting the vision of \u201cequilibrium\u201d.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    Did the Superph\u00e9nix prototype provide the expected knowledge about a future reactor? The sociology of science and technology has investigated this tricky part of the knowledge-building process, establishing that experimental objects often increase uncertainty. As early as the 1970s, some specialists in these reactors were claiming that Superph\u00e9nix was not an industry-ready model. In the 1990s, scientific reviewers<\/a> questioned both the relevance of Superph\u00e9nix for conducting research and the desired outcome of this research, pointing out that the proposed transformations of nuclear materials would have definite physical consequences, contradicting the vision of \u201cequilibrium\u201d.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":"In the 2020s, pursuing a long-established discourse, promoters of this technology traced a direct path from Superph\u00e9nix to a possible energy future. However, this was the interpretation of a community, reinforced by the transmission of its own narratives. The distance between the idea and the material plant is such that speaking of the prototype\u2019s \u201csuccess\u201d or \u201cfailure\u201d is not possible without defining the tests needed to make a judgment\u2014tests that are themselves the subject of debate. How, then, can we draw conclusions about the future of these reactors from events that took place at a real plant? It's a long way from the reactor prototype to the realization of the sociotechnical imaginary.","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    In the 2020s, pursuing a long-established discourse, promoters of this technology traced a direct path from Superph\u00e9nix to a possible energy future. However, this was the interpretation of a community, reinforced by the transmission of its own narratives. The distance between the idea and the material plant is such that speaking of the prototype\u2019s \u201csuccess\u201d or \u201cfailure\u201d is not possible without defining the tests needed to make a judgment\u2014tests that are themselves the subject of debate. How, then, can we draw conclusions about the future of these reactors from events that took place at a real plant? It's a long way from the reactor prototype to the realization of the sociotechnical imaginary.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    In the 2020s, pursuing a long-established discourse, promoters of this technology traced a direct path from Superph\u00e9nix to a possible energy future. However, this was the interpretation of a community, reinforced by the transmission of its own narratives. The distance between the idea and the material plant is such that speaking of the prototype\u2019s \u201csuccess\u201d or \u201cfailure\u201d is not possible without defining the tests needed to make a judgment\u2014tests that are themselves the subject of debate. How, then, can we draw conclusions about the future of these reactors from events that took place at a real plant? It's a long way from the reactor prototype to the realization of the sociotechnical imaginary.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    In the 2020s, pursuing a long-established discourse, promoters of this technology traced a direct path from Superph\u00e9nix to a possible energy future. However, this was the interpretation of a community, reinforced by the transmission of its own narratives. The distance between the idea and the material plant is such that speaking of the prototype\u2019s \u201csuccess\u201d or \u201cfailure\u201d is not possible without defining the tests needed to make a judgment\u2014tests that are themselves the subject of debate. How, then, can we draw conclusions about the future of these reactors from events that took place at a real plant? It's a long way from the reactor prototype to the realization of the sociotechnical imaginary.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/image","attrs":{"id":6937,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","blob":"","url":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/image_claude_parent-1024x412.png","alt":"","caption":"Claude Parent \/ Nuclear power plant, Creys-Malville, 1984. Application of the architectural model to the Creys-Malville site, general view","lightbox":[],"title":"","href":"","rel":"","linkClass":"","width":"","height":"","aspectRatio":"","scale":"","linkTarget":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"align":"","className":"wp-block-image size-large","style":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    \"\"
    Claude Parent \/ Nuclear power plant, Creys-Malville, 1984. Application of the architectural model to the Creys-Malville site, general view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","innerContent":["\n
    \"\"
    Claude Parent \/ Nuclear power plant, Creys-Malville, 1984. Application of the architectural model to the Creys-Malville site, general view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"],"rendered":"\n
    \"\"
    Claude Parent \/ Nuclear power plant, Creys-Malville, 1984. Application of the architectural model to the Creys-Malville site, general view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/heading","attrs":{"style":{"elements":{"link":{"color":{"text":"var:preset|color|red"}}}},"textColor":"red","textAlign":"","content":"Re-examining the history of technology in the light of environmental issues","level":2,"levelOptions":[],"placeholder":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"align":"","className":"wp-block-heading has-red-color has-text-color has-link-color","backgroundColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    Re-examining the history of technology in the light of environmental issues<\/h2>\n","innerContent":["\n

    Re-examining the history of technology in the light of environmental issues<\/h2>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    Re-examining the history of technology in the light of environmental issues<\/h2>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":"History is never over, it is constantly being revived, and following the historian David Edgerton, we should not leave the discussions to the promoters of new technology alone: \u201cMuch of what is written on the history of technology is for boys of all ages. This book is a history for grown-ups of all genders. We have lived with technology for a long time, and collectively we know a lot about it. [\u2026] Yet too often the agenda for discussing the past, present and future of technology is set by the promoters of new technologies.\u201d (extract from The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900, 2007, p. ix). Environmental issues call for a closer look at the material footprints of different energy technologies. Analyses of the humanities and social sciences open up a broader perspective on these inherently sociotechnical objects, looking beyond the very moment of decision-making to consider the lengthy evaluation and review process, looking beyond the prototype project to consider the conditions for producing knowledge about the future of these reactors, and looking beyond the reactor alone to consider the massive infrastructure required by the \u201cbreeder\u201d sociotechnical imaginary","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    History is never over, it is constantly being revived, and following the historian David Edgerton, we should not leave the discussions to the promoters of new technology alone: \u201cMuch of what is written on the history of technology is for boys of all ages. This book is a history for grown-ups of all genders. We have lived with technology for a long time, and collectively we know a lot about it. [\u2026] Yet too often the agenda for discussing the past, present and future of technology is set by the promoters of new technologies.\u201d (extract from The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900, <\/em>2007, p. ix<\/a>). Environmental issues call for a closer look at the material footprints of different energy technologies. Analyses of the humanities and social sciences open up a broader perspective on these inherently sociotechnical objects, looking beyond the very moment of decision-making to consider the lengthy evaluation and review process, looking beyond the prototype project to consider the conditions for producing knowledge about the future of these reactors, and looking beyond the reactor alone to consider the massive infrastructure required by the \u201cbreeder\u201d sociotechnical imaginary<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    History is never over, it is constantly being revived, and following the historian David Edgerton, we should not leave the discussions to the promoters of new technology alone: \u201cMuch of what is written on the history of technology is for boys of all ages. This book is a history for grown-ups of all genders. We have lived with technology for a long time, and collectively we know a lot about it. [\u2026] Yet too often the agenda for discussing the past, present and future of technology is set by the promoters of new technologies.\u201d (extract from The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900, <\/em>2007, p. ix<\/a>). Environmental issues call for a closer look at the material footprints of different energy technologies. Analyses of the humanities and social sciences open up a broader perspective on these inherently sociotechnical objects, looking beyond the very moment of decision-making to consider the lengthy evaluation and review process, looking beyond the prototype project to consider the conditions for producing knowledge about the future of these reactors, and looking beyond the reactor alone to consider the massive infrastructure required by the \u201cbreeder\u201d sociotechnical imaginary<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    History is never over, it is constantly being revived, and following the historian David Edgerton, we should not leave the discussions to the promoters of new technology alone: \u201cMuch of what is written on the history of technology is for boys of all ages. This book is a history for grown-ups of all genders. We have lived with technology for a long time, and collectively we know a lot about it. [\u2026] Yet too often the agenda for discussing the past, present and future of technology is set by the promoters of new technologies.\u201d (extract from The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900, <\/em>2007, p. ix<\/a>). Environmental issues call for a closer look at the material footprints of different energy technologies. Analyses of the humanities and social sciences open up a broader perspective on these inherently sociotechnical objects, looking beyond the very moment of decision-making to consider the lengthy evaluation and review process, looking beyond the prototype project to consider the conditions for producing knowledge about the future of these reactors, and looking beyond the reactor alone to consider the massive infrastructure required by the \u201cbreeder\u201d sociotechnical imaginary<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":"","dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    <\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    <\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    <\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/footnotes","attrs":{"lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[],"rendered":""}],"seo":{"title":"What can we learn from the history of Superph\u00e9nix? Historical research with implications for the future"},"media":{"img":"\"\"","src":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Image_Jean-Francois_Sauvage-scaled.jpg"},"url":"\/en\/articles\/what-can-we-learn-from-the-history-of-superphenix-historical-research-with-implications-for-the-future\/","related":{"post":[],"author":[{"title":"Claire Le Renard","url":"\/en\/authors\/claire-le-renard\/","id":"6931","media":"\"\"","slug":"claire-le-renard"}],"subject":[{"title":"Energy, Ecology & Climate","url":"\/en\/subjects\/energy-ecology-climate\/","id":"937","media":"\"\"","slug":"energy-ecology-climate"},{"title":"Economics & Society","url":"\/en\/subjects\/economics-society\/","id":"124","media":"\"\"","slug":"economics-society"}],"category":[{"title":"Article collection","url":"\/en\/articles\/category\/dossier\/","id":"1720","media":"","slug":"dossier","_related_post_type":"folder"}],"folder":[{"title":"Nuclear power : history, risks and challenges","url":"\/en\/folders\/nuclear-power-history-risks-and-challenges\/","id":"6913","media":"\"\"","slug":"nuclear-power-history-risks-and-challenges"}]},"translated":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/articles\/quapprendre-de-lhistoire-de-superphenix-lactualite-dune-recherche-historique\/","icon":"icon-article","duration":"5","custom_excerpt":"Tensions over energy supply in 2022 have sparked renewed interest in \u201cfast-breeder\u201d nuclear reactors. This technology, which is linked to a promise of producing abundant energy, has been the subject of passionate debate since the end of the Second World War. However, the way its story is told influences our vision of the future. This article analyzes the development of fast breeder reactors, in particular the Superph\u00e9nix prototype in France, and examines how the humanities and social sciences can shed light on the stakes involved in this controversial technology.","duration_type":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6929"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6940,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6929\/revisions\/6940"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"article-types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-types?post=6929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}