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Spallation neutron source target design for radioactive waste transmutation

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:7077387
The disposal of high-level radioactive waste has long been one of the most serious problems facing the nuclear industry. Transmutation of this waste through particle bombardment has been suggested numerous times as a possible method of enhancing the waste management process. Due to advances in accelerator technology, the feasibility of an accelerator based transmutation system has increased enough to allow serious investigation of this process. Therefore, in pursuit of this goal, an accelerator target was designed for use in an accelerator based transmutation system. The target design consists of an array of tantalum rods, cooled by liquid sodium, which are arranged in a cylindrical configuration 40 cm in diameter and 125 cm in height. Tantalum was chosen as the target material over tungsten, lead, bismuth, and a lead-bismuth alloy (55 w/o bismuth) due to a large neutron yield, low activation, low chemical toxicity, and the fact that it does not produce significant amounts of long-lived isotopes through spallation or activation. The target yields a neutron source of 29.7 neutrons/proton when exposed to a 1600 MeV proton beam, and is suitable for use with both thermal or fast spectrum transmutation systems.
Research Organization:
Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
OSTI ID:
7077387
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
661220 -- Particle Beam Production & Handling
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NEUTRON SOURCES
PARTICLE SOURCES
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TRANSMUTATION
Ta
Targets-- (1992-)
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES