Transmutation of Zirconium-93 in High-flux Blanket of Fusion Neutron Source

Abstract

Amongst fission products discharged from a fission reactor, mainly iodine and technetium are considered as of primary concern. Their transmutation has been of high priority to reduce the long-term consequences of nuclear energy generation. So far little attention was given to radioactive 93 Zr, but its hazard appears to be rather substantial. The importance of 93 Zr transmutation is emphasized in the present paper. It is demonstrated that the fusion driven neutron source with high-flux blanket can be applied to transmute 93 Zr sufficiently and resolve the problem of its accumulation within the time period of several decades.

Feasibility Studies and Downselection of New Materials and Manufacturing Technologies for Nuclear Applications

“…Most isotopes of zirconium are stable or have short half-lives (days) or extremely long half-lives (>10 6 years). The most concerning isotope is 93 Zr (t1/2 = 1.53 × 10 6 years), but it has low specific activity and low energy emission [134]. Therefore, the transmutation of zirconium is expected to have a negligible effect, and the effects of transmutation on the composite are expected to dominate.…”

The93Zr(n,γ) reaction up to 8 keV neutron energy

“…Therefore, transmutation via neutron capture is given high priority to reduce the long-term hazards. One possibility is irradiation using a fusion driven neutron source with high-flux blanket that has been shown to transmute 93 Zr sufficiently, thus resolving the problem of its accumulation within the time period of several decades [11].…”

Transmutation of126Sn in Spallation Targets of Accelerator-Driven Systems

“…1) A fusion neutron source of specific quality was proposed there as a candidate for the transmutation of LLFPs. Succeeding research studies [2][3][4][5][6] have been performed on the LLFP transmutation by using highly moderated fusion neutron source in a high-flux fusion-driven blanket. The results showed that LLFPs could be effectively transmuted in the thermal flux blanket of fusion neutron source with the intensity typical for the ITER project.…”