Conceptual design study of proton accelerator-driven transmutation system
- Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Ibaraki (Japan). Dept. of Reactor Engineering
According to national research and development program OMEGA on partitioning and transmutation, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) is performing the conceptual design studies of accelerator-driven transmutation systems mainly through fast fission on the two type of systems with solid and liquid fuels. These accelerator beam-controlled transmutation systems operated at subcritical mode are expected to have promising advantages in nuclear safety and design flexibility. The solid alloy fuel system consists of a sodium-cooled subcritical core with pin-bundle type assemblies of actinide metal fuel and a multi disc layer target of tungsten. When driven by a 39 mA proton beam with an energy of 1.5 GeV, the system with the effective neutron multiplication factor (k{sub eff}) of 0.89 can transmute about 250 kg of minor actinides (MAs) per year and is a self-sufficient one in energy. The liquid fuel system has the simple core without solid spallation target. In the molten salt system the MA chloride molten salt was adopted as the fuel salt due to the high solubility of MA and the good nuclear characteristics. The MA molten salt acts as the core and the spallation target and serves as the primary coolant. This system with k{sub eff} of 0.92, driven by the proton beam (1.5 GeV, 25 mA), can transmute 250 kg of MA. In the liquid alloy system, the MA alloy with the low melting point was selected as the liquid target which circulates through the outer graphite blanket and transfers the heat and reaction products to the secondary coolant. This system with k{sub eff} of 0.9 and the proton beam (1.5 GeV, 16 mA) can transmute 70 kg of MA corresponding to high transmutation rate of 11% with small MA inventory. These systems are the energy self-sufficient and are expected to have the capability of feeding the long-lived radioactive wastes and separating the reaction products on line.
- OSTI ID:
- 248181
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960306-; ISBN 0-7918-1226-X; TRN: 96:014865
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ICONE 4: ASME/JSME international conference on nuclear engineering, New Orleans, LA (United States), 10-13 Mar 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of ICONE-4: Proceedings. Volume 2: Advanced reactors; Rao, A.S. [ed.] [General Electric Nuclear Engineering, San Jose, CA (United States)]; Duffey, R.B. [ed.] [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)]; Elias, D. [ed.] [Commonwealth Edison, Downers Grove, IL (United States)]; PB: 637 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
22 NUCLEAR REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
SUBCRITICAL ASSEMBLIES
DESIGN
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
TRANSMUTATION
ACCELERATORS
REACTOR SAFETY
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
PROTON BEAMS
MOLTEN SALT FUELED REACTORS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
BURNUP
PERFORMANCE
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES