Los Alamos aqueous target/blanket system design for the accelerator transmutation of waste concept
The Los Alamos Accelerator Transmutation of Nuclear Waste (ATW) concept uses an accelerator driven neutron source (target) surrounded by a moderator and multiplying medium (blanket) for the transmutation of actinide and fission product waste. The reference target/blanket desip is an aqueous system that uses heavy water (D2O) for the target coolant, blanket moderator, actinide slurry carrier fluid, and fission product solution. The solid tungsten target produces neutrons efficiently and with a minimum of parasitic capture using an innovative flux-trap design. The blanket consists of regions for fission products and actinide transmutation and employs a heat-transfer loop similar to the CANDU reactor. Neutronics and thermal-hydraulic calculations indicate that each of the four ATW target/blanket modules operating at a keff of 0.95, combined with a 1600-MeV, 62.5-mA proton beam, can transmute the actinide waste, the technetium, and iodine waste from two light water reactors. In addition, by recovering some of the fission heat, we can produce sufficient electricity to power the accelerator.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10160059
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-93-1960; CONF-930913-1; ON: DE93014355; TRN: 93:015276
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Global `93: future nuclear systems - emerging fuel cycles and waste disposal options, Seattle, WA (United States), 12-17 Sep 1993; Other Information: PBD: [1993]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Target/blanket conceptual design for the Los Alamos ATW concept
Target/blanket conceptual design for the Los Alamos ATW concept