Nuclear reactor controlled by accelerator

The Accelerator Driven System or ADS is a Nuclear reactor controlled by a particle accelerator. In such a system, whole or part of the fission neutrons of materials are produced by Spallation of a heavy core (the Plomb for example) by protons resulting from a particle accelerator. The fission energy can be recovered in a traditional way via an exchanger and a turbine.

The ADS belongs to the family of the fast reactors (RNR) and can be conceived for a use according to two modes:

As energy producer, by burning Plutonium, Thorium or Uranium according to a direct cycle or of Breeding. This mode was largely promoted under the name of amplifier of energy of Rubbia.
Like incinerator (with or without energy production) where one burns minor actinides resulting from the irradiated nuclear fuel reprocessing.

In the two modes, the engine unit is subcritical (generally with a level chosen by design between 0.95 0.98 have) and the pleasing accelerator and rêgle the neutron flux with the Criticité of 1 (Like incinerator on the other hand, the accelerator makes the entirety of the work of production of neutrons, from where the modest energy contribution). This implies that any reaction arrète as of the cut of the flow of the accelerator, from where the name of “piloting per accelerator”.

The interest of a ADS lies in its faculty to produce neutrons in a broad range of energy according to that of the flow of protons from the accelerator. It is this access to cross Section of fission inaccessible naturally which allows the light material incineration.

Several experiments are in hand in order to:

To validate the operational reliability of accelerators of protons of 1 Gev,
To study the longevity and materials of the windows of interface between the vacuum of the accelerator and the Eutectic hot Lead-Bismuth under pressure,
To draw up the involuntary assessment of the fission products of the spallation of Bismuth and/or Lead has different energy level from the flow of the accelerator,
Etudier the geometrical configurations optimal of hearts out of generator and incinerator.

Other configurations of ADS with gas coolant and interchangeable targets of spallation are also being studied.

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