Accelerator Driven Systems for Energy Production and Waste Transmutation

Due to their inherent safety features and waste transmutation potential, accelerator driven subcritical reactors (ADSRs) are the subject of research and development in almost all countries around the world. The neutrons needed to sustain fission are generated by the spallation process resulting from high energy protons impacting a target element installed at the centre of the core. In the present paper the possible benefits of FFAGs as accelerator drivers for ADSR systems are analysed. FFAGs afford fast acceleration as there is no need of synchronization between RF and magnets, high average current with large repetition rate and large acceptance. The present study also focuses on the Monte Carlo studies of the reactor core design. The impact of the subcriticallity, target material and proton beam energy on the ADSR performance was also examined. Entirely novel ADSR configurations involving multiple accelerator drivers and associated spallation targets within the reactor core have also been considered. Calculations were carried out using the GEANT4 simulation code.