Safety and design concepts of the 400 MW th-class EFIT accelerator driven transmuter and considerations for further developments

Abstract

European R&D for ADS design and fuel development is driven in the 6th FP of the EU by the EUROTRANS Programme. In EUROTRANS, the longer-term EFIT development, the european facility for industrial transmutation, aims at a generic conceptual design of a full transmuter. A CERCER U-free fuel core with an MgO matrix and a CERMET core with a Mo-92 matrix have been designed. Both the CERCER and the CERMET EFIT concept were optimized towards: a high transmutation efficiency, high burn-up, low reactivity swing, low power peaking, adequate subcriticality, reasonable beam requirements and a high level of safety. Protected and unprotected transients which are initiated by a mismatch of power-to-flow or resulting from a beam disturbance or overpower situation were analyzed. Potentials which can lead to the introduction of positive reactivity into the core were identified, as e.g. the steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) accident or the pin failure with a gas release from the fission gas plena. Both for the CERCER and the CERMET fuelled core the design and safety analyses are close to completion in EUROTRANS and thus a first preliminary résumé can be drawn on the achieved design and safety goals. In addition, scenario studies in the framework of the PATEROS CA project of the 6th FP highlighted the specific needs on transmutation machines serving in countries with different nuclear options. Based on these studies in the 6th FP first reflections can be performed on needs or options for further optimizing an EFIT type ADS.