Design and corrosion study of a closed spallation target module of an accelerator-driven system (ADS)

Abstract

At the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK) the characteristics of an accelerator-driven subcritical reactor system (ADS) are critically evaluated, mainly with respect to the potential of transmutation of minor actinides and long-lived fission products, to the feasibility and to safety aspects. The work is concentrating on system design, neutronics, thermalhydraulics, safety, materials and corrosion. This article describes the FZK approach to design a closed 4 MW(th) spallation target module with a solid beam window and eutectic lead–bismuth (Pb–Bi) as spallation material and cooling fluid, which is going to be implemented in the FZK three-beam concept of an ADS. This multi-beam concept shows significant improvements towards single-beam concepts from the literature with respect to power distribution in the subcritical blanket and thermal loads of heat removal from the beam window and the spallation region. For some selected martensitic and austenitic steels, corrosion tests in static lead are performed to examine their suitability as structural or window materials. Alloying aluminum into the surface layer by high-power electron beam treatment, corrosion can be reduced to nearly zero. One prerequisite to minimize corrosion is a proper oxygen control system (OCS) via the gas-phase to set the oxygen concentration in the liquid Pb–Bi. The dynamic behaviour of this oxygen control system is described. Finally, the KArlsruhe Lead LAboratory (KALLA) is introduced, the objectives of which are technological, thermal-hydraulic and corrosion investigations into the beam window, the spallation target module and the primary system of an ADS.