Fusion-Driven Transmutation of Fission Product Cesium in its Elemental Form

Abstract

Assuming fission reaction as a dominant energy source for a long-term perspective, the goal of transmutation of fission products is to cut their increasing accumulation and to keep their inventories at easily manageable level. Opposite to relatively short-lived 137Cs (T1/2=30yr) whose natural decay converge equilibrium mass to the level of order of 11 per GW of fission energy, an approach to similar equilibrium inventory for long- lived 135Cs (T1/2=2.3×106 yr) requires artificial transmutation that preassumes its isotopic separation in the most studies. The present paper addresses cesium transmutation without preliminary isotope separation that means an approach to equilibrium for all the isotopes including stable 133Cs. A high-flux blanket driven by Fusion Neutron Source with ITER-like parameters is proposed to transmute cesium in the elemental form. Transmutation efficiency is estimated in terms of equilibrium inventory and characteristic time to reach equilibrium both governed by the mean life-time of nuclides in transmuter. The analytical results show that the mean life-time of the target isotope 135 Cs is as short as 21 yr which is in more than order of magnitude shorter than achieved in advanced fission reactors. It reveals that one Fusion Neutron Source with ITER-like parameters could transmute elemental cesium from 23 PWRs, the fraction of power associated with transmutation being as small as 3%.