The Spallator and APEX nuclear fuel cycle: a new option for nuclear power

Journal Article · Tue Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1983 · IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.1983.4332211· OSTI ID:5876102

Steinberg, M

A new nuclear fuel cycle is described which provides a long term supply of nuclear fuel for the thermal LWR nuclear power reactors and eliminates the need for long-term storage of radioactive waste. Fissile fuel is produced by the Spallator which depends on the production of spallation neutrons by the interaction of high energy (1 to 2 GeV) protons on a heavy metal target. The neutrons are absorbed in a surrounding natural uranium or thorium blanket in which fissile Pu-239 or U-233 is produced. Advances in linear accelerator technology makes it possible to design and construct a high beam current continuous wave proton linac for production purposes. The target is similar to a sub-critical reactor and produces heat which is converted to electricity for supplying the linac. The Spallator is a selfsufficient fuel producer, which can compete with the fast breeder. The APEX fuel cycle depends on recycling the transuranics and long-lived fission products while extracting the stable and short-lived fission products when reprocessing the fuel. Transmutation and decay within the fuel cycle and decay of the short-lived fission products external to the fuel cycle eliminates the need for long-term geological age storage of fission product waste.

• Research Organization: Department of Nuclear Engineering, Upton, L.I., NY 11973
• OSTI ID: 5876102
• Journal Information: IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci.; (United States), Vol. 30:1, Issue 1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
FISSILE MATERIALS
PRODUCTION
FUEL CYCLE
PLANNING
DESIGN
FISSION PRODUCTS
GEV RANGE 01-10
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
NUCLEAR FUELS
PLUTONIUM 239
POWER REACTORS
PROTON-NEUTRON INTERACTIONS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
SPALLATION
SPALLATION FRAGMENTS
TRANSMUTATION
URANIUM 233
ACCELERATORS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BARYON-BARYON INTERACTIONS
ENERGY RANGE
ENERGY SOURCES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FUELS
GEV RANGE
HADRON-HADRON INTERACTIONS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INTERACTIONS
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FRAGMENTS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
NUCLEON-NUCLEON INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
PROTON-NUCLEON INTERACTIONS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
STORAGE
URANIUM ISOTOPES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
050800* - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
220200 - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Components & Accessories