Fast Reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems Knowledge Base

IAEA-TECDOC--1365: Review of national accelerator driven system programmes for partitioning and transmutation

Proceedings of an Advisory Group meeting held inTaejon, Republic of Korea, 1–4 November 1999

International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria), IAEA-TECDOC--1365

Abstract

Nuclear power generation is an established part of the world's electricity mix providing 17% of world electricity. One of the current important issues of nuclear power is the long lived radioactive toxicity problem. The seriousness of this problem could be considerably reduced if, during energy production, there was the possibility to incinerate the most long lived radioactive isotopes (long lived fission products and minor actinides).

The combination of external intensive neutron sources with facilities containing nuclear fuel, so-called hybrid systems, are under investigation in several countries. The surplus of neutrons in such systems may be used to convert most of the long lived radioactive nuclides into isotopes having a shorter lifetime. Moreover, subcritical conditions in hybrid systems provide potential advantages from a safety point of view in comparison with conventional critical nuclear reactors. Several components of the proposed hybrid systems need specific investigations (e.g. high intensity particle accelerators, target materials, window features, etc.).

Nowadays, an increasing number of groups are entering this field of research. Some of these groups are not embedded in wider national activities nor funded via international projects. For these groups, there is the need for co-ordinating their efforts and also for information exchange in the frame of nationally or internationally co-ordinated activities. Consideration of the advantages of hybrid systems, and the wide field of interdisciplinary areas of research involved, clearly show the need for an international cooperation in this new area. The needs for strengthening international cooperation in the field of the R&D for hybrid systems were emphasized by participants in several international forums and IAEA meetings.

After a thorough analyses of the outcomes of several international forums and IAEA meetings on Hybrid Concepts for Nuclear Energy Generation and Transmutation, and as a follow-up action to recommendations made by participants in the IAEA Technical Committee Meeting on Feasibility and Motivation for Hybrid Concepts for Nuclear Energy Generation and Transmutation (Madrid, Spain, 1997), the IAEA decided to convene an Advisory Group Meeting (AGM) on Review of National Accelerator Driven System (ADS) Programmes.

The purpose of this AGM was to review the current R&D programmes in the Member States, and to assess the progress in the development of hybrid concepts, as well as their potential role relative to both the current status and the future direction of nuclear power worldwide. The AGM participants were expected to provide options and guidance for the IAEA activities in the ADS area. The AGM was hosted by KAERI in Taejon, Republic of Korea, from 1 to 4 November 1999. Attendance at the meeting was from 17 participants from 11 countries and two international organizations.

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Articles

Opening statement
Chang K. Park (Senior Vice President of KAERI)

Overview of the ongoing activities in Europe and recommendations of the Technical Working Group on Accelerator Driven Sub-critical Systems
S. Monti (ENEA, Bologna, Italy)

Status of the low energy accelerator development for KOMAC
B.H. Choi, Y.S. Cho, J.M. Han (KAERI, Taejon, Republic of Korea)

Planning of ADS related R&D in the Russian Federation
N.S. Rabotnov (State Scientific Center A. J. Leipunsky Institute of Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk, Kaluga Region, Russian Federation)

Summary: “A roadmap for developing accelerator transmutation of waste (ATW) technology”. A report to Congress
J.C. Bresee (Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Department of Energy, United States of America)

High power accelerator developments at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
P. Drumm (CLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, United Kingdom)

High gain energy amplifier emploing a fast spectrum booster coupled one way to a thermal spectrum system
S.B. Degweker, D.C. Sahni, S.S. Kapoor (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, India)

Research on accelerator driven systems in the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
S.E. Chigrinov, A.I. Kievitskaia, I.L. Rakhno, I.G. Serafimovich, C.K. Rutkovskaia (Radiation Physics & Chemistry Problems Institute, National Academy of Sciences, Minsk-Sosny, Belarus), A.M. Khilmanovich, B.A. Marstinkevich (Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences, Minsk, Belarus)

Design characteristics of HYPER system
Won S. Park (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Yusong, Taejon , Republic of Korea)

The concept of nuclear incineration of PWR spent fuel in a transmuter with liquid fuel as applied in the Czech Republic programme
M. Hron (Nuclear Research Institute Rez plc, Rez, Czech Republic)

Molten salt fuels for nuclear waste transmutation in accelerator driven systems
V.V. Ignatiev (RRC Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, Russian Federation)

EA-MC neutronic calculations of the EAP80
Y. Kadi (Emerging Energy Technologies, European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland)

Omega programme in Japan and ADS development at JAERI
T. Mukaiyama (Center for Neutron Science, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute Tokai-mura, Ibaraki-ken, Japan)

ADS activities in the Netherlands
H.T. Klippel (NRG, Petten, Netherlands)