Neutronics Analysis of LANL's Accelerator Transmutation of Waste

Conference · Sun Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:6000417

LaBauve, R. ^[1]; Cappiello, M. ^[1]; Perry, R. ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

The Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL's) accelerator transmutation concept is directed at the problems associated with high-level wastes stored at several US Department of Energy sites. A high-energy (1,600-MeV), high-current (25- to 60-mA) proton accelerator is used as a driver. The protons are directed onto a flowing liquid lead-bismuth (Pb-Bi) target and through the process of spallation generates {approximately}50 neutrons for each incident proton. The neutrons are moderated to thermal energy in a surrounding blanket of heavy water (D₂O) and are used to transmute fission products, capture and fission actinides, or directly fission fissile isotopes. Because of the intense flux of neutrons generated, very dilute mixtures are used, thereby reducing the potential for criticality and power excursion. In this proposed design, the authors have devised a system to transmute high-level defense fission product and actinide waste at Hanford. Specifically, the system is designed for transmutation of the long-lived fission products ⁹⁹Tc and ¹²⁹I, and the higher actinides ²³⁷Np and ^241,243Am. For the total inventory at Hanford of 2,000 kg of technetium and iodine and 400 kg of neptunium and americium, the goal transmutation rates for a 30-yr operation are 67 kg/yr for the fission products and 13 kg/yr for actinides. It is concluded that the LANL accelerator transmutation concept is feasible and can transmute the long-lived defense waste at a site like Hanford.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• OSTI ID: 6000417
• Report Number(s): CONF-910603-; CODEN: TANSA
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Vol. 63; Conference: Annual Meeting of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), Orlando, FL (United States), 2-6 Jun 1991; ISSN 0003-018X
• Publisher: American Nuclear Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACCELERATORS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
ACTINIDES
TRANSMUTATION
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
AMERICIUM 241
AMERICIUM 243
BISMUTH
CAPTURE
CROSS SECTIONS
EXCURSIONS
FAST NEUTRONS
FISSION PRODUCTS
HEAVY WATER
IODINE 120
LANL
LEAD
MULTIPLICATION FACTORS
NEPTUNIUM 237
NEUTRON FLUX
PROTON BEAMS
SAFETY
SUBCRITICALITY
TECHNETIUM 99
THERMAL NEUTRONS
US DOE
ACCIDENTS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
BARYONS
BEAMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
FERMIONS
HADRONS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NANOSEC LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEPTUNIUM ISOTOPES
NEUTRONS
NUCLEI
NUCLEON BEAMS
NUCLEONS
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE BEAMS
PROCESSING
RADIATION FLUX
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
SPONTANEOUS FISSION RADIOISOTOPES
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOI
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Accelerator Transmutation Concept
Conclusions
052000* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Management
430100 - Particle Accelerators- Design
Development
& Operation