Nuclear Data for Waste Transmutation in the EURATOM RTD Fifth Framework Programme

Abstract

For the design of an Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System (ADS), nuclear cross section data are required over a wide energy range for the spallation target and structural materials. The paper summarises the EURATOM RTD Fifth Framework (FP5) Programme structure, nuclear data projects and the international collaboration in this field including that with International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC), Moscow. Two shared cost projects (HINDAS, total budget: 3.26 MEuro and n_TOF_ND_ADS, 6.52 MEuro) in the EURATOM FP5 Programme aim to provide the above required data by performing experiments at most of the major accelerator facilities across Europe. The first project, HINDAS, will carry out basic cross section measurements, nuclear model simulations and data evaluations in the 20-200 MeV energy region and beyond for iron, lead and uranium. The second project, n_TOF_ND_ADS, aims at the production, evaluation and dissemination of neutron cross sections for most of the radioisotopes (actinides and long-lived fission products) that are being considered for transmutation in the energy range from 1 eV up to 250 MeV.