SEFOR

It was constructed particularly to test the suggested inherent safety features of the oxide fuel/sodium cooling configuration, and in particular the effect on the core of thermal expansion, including in an accident situation.

SEFOR was designated a Nuclear Historic Landmark site in October 1986, and that same year the university stopped using the facility but continued to maintain surveillance through maintenance activities and periodic visits to the reactor.

By the early 2000s the site was considered contaminated and the university began seeking $16 million in funding for decontamination work.

In 2009, it was announced that the University of Arkansas would get the $1.9 million from the U.S. Department of Energy for a "characterization study" to determine what would be required for cleaning up the site.

SEFOR appeared on the Fiscal Year 2010 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Requests on Senator Mark Pryor's website.

In September 2016 the University of Arkansas finally received a $10.5 million grant from the Department of Energy to decommission and dismantle the SEFOR site.