Reduction in the Toxicity of Fission Product Wastes through Transmutation with Deuterium-Tritium Fusion Neutrons

Parish, T.A.; Davidson, John

doi:10.13182/nt80-a32436

Cited by 46 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The temperature of all material is 800 K. The light water coolant is in a pressure-tube rather than a pressure-vessel design [15]. The density of light water in 15.5 MP is 0.6 g/cm 3 . The tritium breeding material is Li 4 SiO 4 and the enrichment of 6 Li is set to 90%.…”

Section: Procedures and Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first concepts, occurring in the late 1950s, were kept classified, due to their promise for breeding plutonium for weapons using fusion neutrons [1]. The next several decades (early 1960s to early 1980s) saw a wide range of FFH reactor designs, ranging from fission breeders to fission product transmutators [2,3]. FFH research in the West was not emphasized in the late 1980s through the early 1990s; however, a revival has occurred since the mid-1990s, as FFH systems are seen as one possible method for dealing with fission spent fuel and for burning weapon plutonium [4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preliminary design of hybrid energy reactor and integral neutron experiments

Liu

Shi

et al. 2012

Fusion Engineering and Design

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Section: Procedures and Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary design of hybrid energy reactor and integral neutron experiments

Liu

Shi

et al. 2012

Fusion Engineering and Design

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“…The main bulk of the studies on FP transmutation could be well categorized in two groups reflecting historically the following general trends. At first the main attention was given the neutronics of various particular transmuters like fission reactorsCll, accelerator-driven< 2 l, fusion ( 3 ) and even such exotic as muon-catalyzed fusion installations< 4 l. Notwithstanding the diversity of transmuters proposed, they stressed the achievable transmu-* 1 The main results of this paper were presented at International Conference on Future Nuclear Systems, GLOBAL'99, Snow King Resort, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA, Aug. 29-Sept. 3,1999. tation rate compared to natural decay.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fusion-Driven Transmutation of Fission Product Cesium in its Elemental Form.

Saito

Апсэ

Artisyuk

et al. 2000

J. Nucl. Sci. Technol.

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Assuming fission reaction as a dominant energy source for a long-term perspective, the goal of transmutation of fission products is to cut their increasing accumulation and to keep their inventories at easily manageable level. Opposite to relatively short-lived 137 Cs (T1; 2 =30 yr) whose natural decay converge equilibrium mass to the level of order of 1 t per GW of fission energy, an approach to similar equilibrium inventory for longlived 135 Cs (T1; 2 =2.3x 10 6 yr) requires artificial transmutation that preassumes its isotopic separation in the most studies. The present paper addresses cesium transmutation without preliminary isotope separation that means an approach to equilibrium for all the isotopes including stable 133 Cs. A high-flux blanket driven by Fusion Neutron Source with ITER-like parameters is proposed to transmute cesium in the elemental form. Transmutation efficiency is estimated in terms of equilibrium inventory and characteristic time to reach equilibrium both governed by the mean life-time of nuclides in transmuter. The analytical results show that the mean life-time of the target isotope 135 Cs is as short as 21 yr which is in more than order of magnitude shorter than achieved in advanced fission reactors. It reveals that one Fusion Neutron Source with ITER-like parameters could transmute elemental cesium from 23 PWRs, the fraction of power associated with transmutation being as small as 3%.

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“…In such a system, the thermonuclear fusion of deuterium and tritium serves as a stationary source of neutrons. Such facilities can be built on the basis of a tokamak [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and open magnetic traps [11]. These facilities can supply fuel to thermal reac-…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In such a reactor, it is also possible to burn long-lived actinides in the spent fuel from thermal reactors. For this, uranium (or thorium) is not produced; instead, neptunium, americium, and curium -the main highly active elements of the spent fuel -are placed in the blanket [4]. Here, likewise, one fast neutron can initiate the fission of several nuclei of transuranium elements.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tokamak based hybrid systems for fuel production and recovery from spent nuclear fuel

et al. 2011

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The effect of the internal elements of a tokamak with different coolants on the transmutation rate of longlived actinides is studied. The Monte Carlo method is used to calculate nuclear reactions in a homogeneous model of a blanket and in specific designs of a blanket. The neutron-physical calculations of a homogeneous model of a blanket showed that the absorption of neutrons by the central column of the tokamak and their moderation by the beryllium coating slow the transmutation rate to 35% of the initial value with the most efficient utilization of lead coolant. For water coolant, this effect is negligible. In a heterogeneous model of a blanket where water coolant is used, plutonium must be added to the actinides (50%/50%). The use of lead as the coolant will increase the transmutation rate of the actinides without using plutonium. In this case, it will be possible to reprocess spent nuclear fuel from more than 10 VVER-1000 in the JUST-T hybrid reactor.The limited nature of the fuel resources of modern nuclear power, the recovery from spent nuclear fuel, the attainment of a high safety level, and the transition to a closed fuel cycle are all problems which can be solved by developing largescale nuclear power based on fast reactors with natural safety [1,2]. However, such reactors are at the design and scientific work stage; it is difficult to predict their serial implementation. The sodium-cooled fast reactors which industry has adopted make it possible to close the fuel cycle, recover the spent fuel, and provide fuel for hundreds of years. However, world experience has shown that such reactors are expensive because hot and highly active sodium is used as the coolant and today's models (BN-600, -800) are not ready for building on a wide scale.The breeding of excess plutonium in technically perfected fast reactors is low (the breeding ratio 1.2-1.3). For this reason, for a closed fuel cycle where thermal reactors are replenished with plutonium produced in fast reactors it is necessary to produce 2-3 GW(e) by fast reactors for every 1 GW(e) from thermal reactors. Thus, the latter reactors will play a dominant role which will determine the economics of nuclear power. A different way to supply power to thermal reactors is also possible -secondary fuel (plutonium or 233 U) producers, which are more efficient than fast reactors, can be introduced. This problem can be solved by developing a hybrid thermonuclear reactor in which the fuel breeding zone (the blanket surrounding the plasma chamber) operates in the subcritical regime; this precludes the possibility of uncontrolled nuclear reactions [3]. In such a system, the thermonuclear fusion of deuterium and tritium serves as a stationary source of neutrons. Such facilities can be built on the basis of a tokamak [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and open magnetic traps [11]. These facilities can supply fuel to thermal reac-

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Reduction in the Toxicity of Fission Product Wastes through Transmutation with Deuterium-Tritium Fusion Neutrons

Cited by 46 publications

References 6 publications

Preliminary design of hybrid energy reactor and integral neutron experiments

Preliminary design of hybrid energy reactor and integral neutron experiments

Fusion-Driven Transmutation of Fission Product Cesium in its Elemental Form.

Tokamak based hybrid systems for fuel production and recovery from spent nuclear fuel

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