Fast Reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems Knowledge Base
Conference Article: Current US plans for development of fuels for accelerator transmutation of waste
D.C. Crawford, S.L. Hayes, M.K. MeyerAbstract
The United States is currently investigating the feasibility of proposed technologies for the Accelerator Transmutation of Waste (ATW) concept, which is funded as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) Program. The ATW concept is proposed as a means to transmute transuranic isotopes and, perhaps, long-lived fission products removed from light water reactor spent fuel to shorter-lived fission products. To attain maximum possible transmutation rates, no fertile material (i.e., U-238 or Th-232) is to be incorporated into the fuel. Fuel forms currently proposed for ATW application include non-fertile dispersions of metal alloy or nitride fuel particles in a metal matrix, a non-fertile metal alloy, or non-fertile nitride pellets for a fast-spectrum, liquid metal-cooled transmuter, and non-fertile TRISO-coated particles dispersed in graphite compacts for a thermal-spectrum, gas-cooled transmuter. There is little or no experience with these non-fertile fuels, so an extensive fuel development program is envisioned. Current plans call for initial effort to demonstrate feasibility of the proposed fuel forms by the end of 2005, consistent with AAA program decision milestones. Feasibility research and development will consist of the following:
- Development of fabrication processes to demonstrate fabricability of the proposed fuel forms;
- Simple irradiation tests to screen samples of each fuel type for unexpected or poor performance; and
- Determination of intrinsic properties or characteristics (e.g., out-of pile interdiffusion behavior of fuel and constituents and thermophysical properties).
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key words: Fast Neutron Spectrum Systems, Nuclear Technology
- Reference:
- Proceedings of a Committee Meeting (TCM) on “Core Physics and Engineering Aspects of
Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems for Energy Generation and Transmutation” held in Argonne, Illinois, U.S.A., 28 November - 1 December 2000
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
- IAEA-TECDOC--1356, pp:151-163
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)