ThorEA - Towards an Alternative Nuclear Future.pdf

Appendix IV:
Current international ADSR R&D programmes continued
Japan
(KEK)
Japan
(MES)
Israel
(CMHDS)
US
(INL)
US
(LAN)
US
(MIT)
US
(SNS)
Russia
(IPPE)
56 Towards an Alternative Nuclear Future
Accelerator Spallation target Reactor core Coolant technology Fuel
management
World’s first proton
FFAG accelerator; 5
MHz RF cavities and
200 kV/m gradient;
proton pulses at
150 MeV and 100 Hz
Pb-Bi technology
for neutron source
target systems
accelerator-based
neutron source
(liquid mercury
target)
A4.2 Activities supported by the European Commission
For more than ten years the European Commission’s
Euratom team has funded research into the partitioning and
transmutation of nuclear wastes and spent nuclear fuel via the
European Framework programmes. Significant attention has
been devoted to accelerator driven systems for transmutation
of spent fuels and partitioned radioactive wastes. European
Commission emphasis has been given to issues relating to
waste management rather than nuclear power station new
build because of political and constitutional considerations
within the European Union.
Nuclear research is governed by the 1957 Euratom Treaty
rather than by the sequence of European Economic
Community treaties. Under the terms of the Euratom Treaty
activities require unanimous member state approval. Such
reactor physics
thermal hydraulics
nuclear materials
and structural
engineering
comparisons
between reactor
designs using Na, Pb
and Pb-Bi coolants
Pb-Bi technology
for ADS cooling
systems
Pb and Pb-Bi
circulation tests;
and studies on
the oxidation of
steels by Pb high
temperature alloy
corrosion data from
both Pb and Pb-Bi
operations at an
experimental facility
alloy research,
Kinetic modelling
of corrosion of US
standard steels
chemistry fuel
management
studies
unanimous support has thus far proved difficult to achieve in
matters relating to nuclear power generation and its possible
expansion. Radioactive waste management, as a legacy issue,
has been an easier issue on which to agree.
A major overview comparing the relative merits of various
approaches was conducted in sixth Framework Programme by
the Red-Impact collaboration. Five fuel cycles were analysed:
UOx once through; Monorecycled Pu MOX in PWR; Multirecycled
Pu in Fast Reactors; Multi-recycled Pu and minor
actinides in Fast reactors and an approach combining PWRs
and ADSR transmutation. Euratom has also funded a series of
experimental initiatives directly addressing the potential for
ADSR based radioactive waste transmutation. Recent efforts
have centered upon a European Framework Project known
as ‘EUROTRANS’. This is dedicated to achieving ADSR-based
transmutation demonstration devices of industrial interest.