A transuranic transmuter includes a sealable steel housing having a window to allow a beam of protons to enter the housing and strike a spallation target, thereby generating fast neutrons. Conductive tubes holding minor actinides are positioned within the housing and at a distance from the spallation target. A graphite block is positioned within the housing to interpose the minor actinides between the graphite block and the spallation target. Plutonium and toxic fission products are positioned in recesses formed within the graphite block. Upon exposure to fast neutrons from the spallation target, the minor actinides transmute by either fission or neutron capture reactions into one or more stable, less radiotoxic isotopes. Some neutrons from the target pass through the moderator and subsequently transmute the plutonium and the toxic fission products into one or more stable, less radiotoxic isotopes.

Accelerator driven, transuranic, gas cooled transmuter

A new concept; termed ADAPT; for the rapid and virtually complete burning of plutonium is described. ADAPT employs a high current CW linear accelerator (linac) to generate neutrons in a lead/D2O target. The neutrons are then absorbed in a surrounding subcritical (Keff∼0.95) blanket assembly, that holds small (∼0.5 cm diameter) graphite beads containing the plutonium to be burned. The graphite beads are coated and sealed to contain all fission products, including the noble gases. After destruction of virtually all (≥90%) of the original plutonium loading, the fuel beads are discharged and sent to a geologic repository for ultimate disposal.

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The ADAPT concept—an accelerator driven system for the rapid and efficient disposal of plutonium

A particle accelerator‐driven spallation target and corresponding blanket region are proposed for the ultimate disposition of weapons‐grade plutonium being retired from excess nuclear weapons in the U.S. and Russia. The highly fissle plutonium is contained within .25 to .5 cm diameter silicon‐carbide coated graphite beads, which are cooled by helium, within the slightly subcritical blanket region. Major advantages include very high one‐pass burnup (over 90%), a high integrity waste form (the coated beads), and operation in a subcritical mode, thereby minimizing the vulnerability to the positive reativity feedbacks often associated with plutonium fuel.

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Donald Schweitzer

Papers

The ADAPT concept—an accelerator driven system for the rapid and efficient disposal of plutonium

Accelerator-driven assembly for plutonium transformation (ADAPT)