Fast Reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems Knowledge Base

Educational Materials on Hybrid Nuclear Systems for Energy Production, Utilisation of Actinides & Transmutation of Long-Lived Radioactive Waste

Workshops organized by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):

IAEA Workshop on “Technology and Applications of Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS)” 13-17 October 2003, ICTP, Trieste, Italy

High-level waste disposal is an element of paramount importance in the discussion of nuclear power generation sustainability. This, and the desire to reduce the quantity of long-lived waste material, have stimulated new interest in the transmutation of actinides and some long-lived fission products, and in emerging system technologies for energy production with reduced actinide generation. One such system is the combination of a particle accelerator with a subcritical nuclear reactor.

The surmised advantages of accelerator driven systems (ADS) - apart from their intrinsic low production of long-lived radioactive waste, and transmutation capability - are also enhanced safety characteristics and better long-term resources utilization (e.g., in connection with thorium fuels). Significant efforts to develop high-power accelerator driven systems are under way in many countries including China, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, and the US.

The R&D topics involved can be categorized according to the following R&D areas:

• General concept and system studies
• Accelerator
• Target
• Sub-critical core
• Fuel development
• Fuel cycle studies

The scope of the workshop was training and information exchange.

The objective of the Workshop was to familiarize the students with the status of the R&D activities in the aforementioned areas. The Workshop will consist of lectures, computer demonstrations and 'hands-on' exercises (a more detailed syllabus will be posted on this Web Site in due course). The Workshop was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and hosted by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP).

The following instructional material was used in support of the lectures: