Spent Nuclear Fuel and Accelerator-Driven Subcritical Systems

153 Pages·2019·6.22 MB·English

by  Vinod Kumar Verma

Green Energy and Technology
Vinod Kumar Verma
Karel Katovsky
Spent Nuclear Fuel
and Accelerator-Driven
Subcritical Systems
Green Energy and Technology
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Vinod Kumar Verma Karel Katovsky
(cid:129)
Spent Nuclear Fuel
and Accelerator-Driven
Subcritical Systems
123
VinodKumar Verma Karel Katovsky
University of Rajasthan Department ofElectrical Power
Jaipur,Rajasthan, India Engineering, Faculty of Electrical
EngineeringandCommunication
and BrnoUniversity ofTechnology
Brno, Czech Republic
GGSIP University
NewDelhi, India
ISSN 1865-3529 ISSN 1865-3537 (electronic)
Green Energy andTechnology
ISBN978-981-10-7502-5 ISBN978-981-10-7503-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7503-2
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Preface
Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is a fallout of nuclear energy programs of the
present-day society. In fact, disposal of the radioactive waste (RAW) is a
challenge and every human is threatened by it.
Itreminds usthatthousandsofyearsbackthehumanracewasfrightened
of volcanoes and electric thunders but they provided the concept of the
source of fire and hot material. The human race took it as a challenge and
spent thousands of years in developing different ways of producing fire and
findingthousandsofapplicationstoo.Onthesocialfront,thedevelopmentof
fire even gave birth to cultural and racial problem in different parts of the
globe. But, after all, it provided the means of positive developments and
showedadefinitepathofadvancementtotheentirehumanraceofthetime.It
may be assumed that in the modern time, the human race is attempting to
handle the new, compact, and wonderful source of heat and energy in the
form of nuclear energy.
Every energy issue has raised eyebrows of the strong believers of
humanitybecausefortheinfinitetimethesunhasbeenthesourceofenergy
and life with which the human race has its strongest relationship. The sun
being at far long distance does not raise any intimate threat to the mankind.
On the other hand, SNF has a relatively intimate relationship. Its heaped
amountonearthandhavingafeatureofitsreutilizationcannotallowittobe
avoided from the developmental process. The book is written for all these
concerns so that it can help our education system and future developments.
The nuclear science community is well aware of both threats and appli-
cations of the nuclear energy and it is highly concerned with finding solu-
tions. RAW contains a fatal radio-toxic radiation and at the same time a
bigger proportion of RAW can be reutilized as a fuel also. It is the result of
seriousconcerns onlythatdespiteofthefactthathundredsofnuclearenergy
reactorsareoperationalworldover andtherehavebeenonlyafewaccidents.
Small accidents can be avoided by generating awareness through education
and developing stronger control systems regarding proliferation and sources
of threats. This is also deeply related to education that nuclear energy has
been grown for peaceful utilization.
Whileproducingthetextofthefirstchapterofthebook,wethoughtseveral
timesthathowtheissueofSNFisastate-of-the-artissue.Ultimately,wekept
the subtitle on having a keen look at the national ways of handling the
international issues, treaties and standards in their own references, national
v
vi Preface
interests and sometimes agreeing on an issue and other times disagreeing.
These details are presented at the end of the chapter. Still, it can be empha-
sized that proper educationcan solve these petty issuesin future.
Thewritingofthebookstartedwiththefactthatoverthelasttwentyyears
or more the authors have participated in several experiments and develop-
mental works, organization of several meetings and conferences and pro-
ducing the manpower for both research and education, and a book is
considered to be the best carrier of compilation of such knowledge. Several
bookshavebeenwritten on theissues ofproliferation andnuclearwaste but
only a few articles or the periodicals are able to inspire the young minds to
beginwitha‘startup’andcareerinresearch.Thebookwillarousethatkind
of keenness for both. The book will support the graduate students and
innovators to grow new ideas of research and entrepreneurship also, in the
field of new setup of energy utilization and to save from the energy losses.
Efforts have been made that the book comprises existing knowledge till
last few years for education purpose. The readers may provide help to the
authors in pointing out more details that may be added in the future version
ofthebook.Itmay,however,bepointedoutthatthechapterrelatedtodatais
keptshortasoneoftheauthorshadpresentedmanyrecentdatainhisearlier
book entitled Role of (n, xn) reactions in ADSS published in the year 2011.
The authors have a deep sense of gratitude to their co-workers who had
participated in different experiments with them because they had helped in
developingtheconceptwithoutevenknowntousaboutwritingofthebook.
The authors are grateful to the international community who is involved in
various related research and development activities and they helped us in
providing some of the results of their hard work in response to our personal
contacts. The authors are grateful to JINR, Dubna where they used its
facilities and entire research framework for their career.
Our sincere thanks aredue toDr. N.S.Raghaw for his help in providing
the data of radiation damage, handling various data files and data sites and
runningtheJA-IPUcodeevenatacallatanoddhour.Hisenormoushelpat
the time offinal compilation of the manuscript was commendable.
The authors are thankful to Springer for having the patience for the
completion of the manuscript and their prompt responses all throughout its
preparation for over a year.
Jaipur/New Delhi, India Dr. Vinod Kumar Verma
(Superannuated Professor)
Brno, Czech Republic Prof. Karel Katovsky
February 2018
Contents
1 Spent Nuclear Fuel and Alternative Methods
of Transmutation... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
1.1 Spent and Unspent Nuclear Fuel and the Nuclear
Waste ... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
1.1.1 State-of-the-Art: Spent Nuclear Fuel Issue... .... 1
1.1.2 Radio-Toxicity... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 2
1.1.3 Extraction or Reprocessing . .... .... ..... .... 3
1.1.4 Status of the Unspent Fuel.. .... .... ..... .... 7
1.1.5 Economy of Reprocessing.. .... .... ..... .... 8
1.2 Methods of Reduction of the Radioactive Material... .... 9
1.2.1 Disposals, Reposition and Transmutation.... .... 9
1.2.2 Other Applications.... .... .... .... ..... .... 10
1.3 Issues Related to Nuclear Waste.... .... .... ..... .... 12
1.3.1 Proliferation and Security .. .... .... ..... .... 12
1.3.2 Reutilization .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 14
1.3.3 Radiation Damage and Gas Production..... .... 15
1.3.4 Protection of Society and Environment ..... .... 15
References. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 18
2 Special Hybrid Systems and Molten-Salt Reactors. ..... .... 21
2.1 Concept of Hybridization of Nuclear Energy .. ..... .... 21
2.1.1 Hybrid Nuclear Energy Systems . .... ..... .... 21
2.1.2 Fusion–Fission Hybrids.... .... .... ..... .... 24
2.2 Reactor with Liquid Fuel . .... .... .... .... ..... .... 26
2.2.1 Single-Fluid Reactor .. .... .... .... ..... .... 26
2.2.2 Double-Fluid Reactor.. .... .... .... ..... .... 26
2.3 Other Hybrid Energy Systems.. .... .... .... ..... .... 27
2.3.1 West Texas Model of NHES.... .... ..... .... 27
2.3.2 Northeastern Arizona Model of NHES ..... .... 27
2.3.3 Wind and PV Hybrid Energy System . ..... .... 29
References. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 29
3 Spallation Neutron Source, Multiplication and Possibility
of Incineration. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 31
3.1 Neutron Sources and Applications .. .... .... ..... .... 31
3.1.1 Neutron Sources . .... .... .... .... ..... .... 31
3.1.2 Spallation Neutron Sources . .... .... ..... .... 33
vii
viii Contents
3.2 Neutron Multiplicative Processes ... .... .... ..... .... 36
3.2.1 Role of (n, xn) and Similar Reactions . ..... .... 37
3.2.2 Multiplication Coefficient and Source
Importance.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 39
3.3 Utilization of Spallation Neutrons by a Fuel... ..... .... 43
3.3.1 IAEA Benchmark Design .. .... .... ..... .... 45
3.3.2 Neutron Flux in Different Regions.... ..... .... 47
3.3.3 Accelerator Current and Radial Heat
Distribution . .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 49
References. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 50
4 Requirement of Nuclear Data.. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 53
4.1 Requirement of Nuclear Data Beyond the Existing
Power Reactors..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 53
4.2 Nuclear Data.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 55
4.2.1 Data Requirement of a Target System. ..... .... 58
References. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 64
5 Transmutation of Spent Nuclear Fuel and Extension
of a Fuel Cycle. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 67
5.1 ADSS for Transmutation of LLNW . .... .... ..... .... 67
5.1.1 Long-Lived Actinides (LLA) and the Fission
Products (FP).... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 68
5.1.2 Reduction of Half-Life. .... .... .... ..... .... 68
5.1.3 Reduction by the Thermal, Fast, and Spallation
Neutron Spectra.. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 70
5.2 Conversion of Fertile into Fissile and the Breeding
Process .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 75
5.3 Extension of the Fuel Cycles .. .... .... .... ..... .... 76
References. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 80
6 Major Experimental Facilities for Development
of Accelerator-Driven Subcritical System .... .... ..... .... 81
6.1 FEAT and TARC Experiment.. .... .... .... ..... .... 81
6.2 n_ToF Experiments for Measurement of Cross Section ... 83
6.3 IREN—Facility at Dubna . .... .... .... .... ..... .... 86
6.4 TRIGA.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 88
6.5 KEK Setup... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 90
6.6 BFS Setups... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 91
6.7 MUSE and YALINA Setups... .... .... .... ..... .... 92
6.8 GUINEVERE and VENUS-F Setup. .... .... ..... .... 95
6.9 PURNIMA and KAMINI Experimental Reactors.... .... 95
6.10 BRAHMA Subcritical Facility at BARC.. .... ..... .... 97
6.11 GAMMA Series of Experiments at JINR, Dubna.... .... 97
6.11.1 GAMMA-2 . .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 99
6.11.2 GAMMA-3 . .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 101
6.12 Energy + Transmutation Experimental Setup .. ..... .... 107
6.13 QUINTA—An Experimental Setup.. .... .... ..... .... 109
Contents ix
6.14 MYRRHA and EFIT—A Road Map of ADSS. ..... .... 110
6.15 Subcritical Assembly at Dubna (SAD) ... .... ..... .... 112
6.16 BURAN Setup ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 112
6.17 GEM * STAR Setup. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 115
6.18 Some More ADS Programs of Asian Countries ..... .... 116
References. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 118
7 Radiation Damage and Development of a MC Software
Tool . .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 123
7.1 Radiation Damage—An Important Issue.. .... ..... .... 123
7.1.1 Radiation Effects in Materials ... .... ..... .... 124
7.1.2 Early Approaches of Assessment of Radiation
Damage.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 126
7.1.3 Monte Carlo Simulation Approach of JA-IPU
Code . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 130
7.1.4 A Phenomenological Approach of Radiation
Damage.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 136
7.1.5 Dynamic Model Approach and JA-IPU..... .... 139
7.1.6 Radiation Resistant Materials.... .... ..... .... 141
References. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 142