Abstract
In order to provide an appropriate level of energy to the whole world, nuclear energy is still going to play an important role. Nuclear energy can help reducing the CO2 emissions, which today are excessive. The problematics of nuclear waste can be solved using long-term geological storage in deep suitable formations. Partitioning and transmutation can help reducing the radiotoxicity of spent fuel to more acceptable durations of time. The MYRRHA project investigates since more than 20 years the possibility to demonstrate transmutation at a reasonable power level. In this paper we present the current state of the MYRRHA reactor design and the associated research and development activities.
Highlights
Our energy supply was mainly based on fossil fuels
The protons are injected by the accelerator onto a spallation target be it a separated unit from the sub-critical reactor or just the heavy liquid metal primary coolant of the reactor, where they produce spallation primary neutrons for driving the subcritical core
In order to reduce the amount of long-lived radioactive waste legacy and for the countries willing to continue the use of nuclear energy in their energy mix with limited amount of natural resources, the fuel cycle of the nuclear energy systems needs to be closed for a better use of the uranium and recycling the plutonium
Summary
The protons are injected by the accelerator onto a spallation target be it a separated unit from the sub-critical reactor or just the heavy liquid metal primary coolant of the reactor, where they produce spallation primary neutrons for driving the subcritical core. The accelerator provides the high-energy protons that are used in the spallation target to create neutrons, which feed in their turn the subcritical core.
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