In an accelerator driven sub-critical (ADS) facility, a sub-critical reactor is driven by an intense external neutronsource provided by an accelerator coupled to a spallation target. The real-time measurement of incor...In an accelerator driven sub-critical (ADS) facility, a sub-critical reactor is driven by an intense external neutronsource provided by an accelerator coupled to a spallation target. The real-time measurement of incore neutron fluxin an ADS facility is necessary for the commissioning measurements of the beams from the accelerator, for theroutine verification of control rod positions, and for the calibration of the excore power range nuclear instruments.In a commercial reactor used in nuclear industry, several incore neutron detectors are used commonly to measureradial neutron flux profile at different radial locations within the reactor core. In an ADS facility, we propose thatnot only radial neutron flux profile but also vertical flux profile should be measured at different locations, becausethe incore neutron flux is affected dramatically by the neutrons from the spallation target.展开更多
This paper proposes a sub-critical nuclear energy system driven by fusion neutron source, FDS, which can be used to transmute long-lived radioactive wastes and to produce fissile nuclear fuel as a way for early applic...This paper proposes a sub-critical nuclear energy system driven by fusion neutron source, FDS, which can be used to transmute long-lived radioactive wastes and to produce fissile nuclear fuel as a way for early application of fusion technology. The necessity and feasibility to develop that system in China are illustrated on the basis of prediction of the demand of energy source in the first half of the 21th century, the status of current fission energy supply and the progress in fusion technology in the world. The characteristics of fusion neutron driver and the potential for transmutation of long-lived nuclear wastes and breeding of fissile nuclear fuel in a blanket are analyzed. A scenario of development steps is proposed.展开更多
During recent years, a new generation of nuclear reactors, known as “Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactors”, has been developed. One of the new application aspects for such reactors (besides transmutation of High ...During recent years, a new generation of nuclear reactors, known as “Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactors”, has been developed. One of the new application aspects for such reactors (besides transmutation of High Level Waste and burning Minor Actinides) is usage of thorium as nuclear fuel. In this work a subcritical core in experimental scale is simulated by MCNPX code. The core contains two types of fuel assemblies: (85% ThO2 + 15% UO2) and MOX (U-Pu). In the first step, only the thorium-contained fuel assemblies are loaded into the core. Criticality calculations using MCNPX show that the keff is so low that the fuel assemblies cannot run the subcritical core. This implies that MOX (U-Pu) assemblies must be loaded as well. Neutronic parameters of the thorium- fueled Accelerator Driven Subcritical core are then calculated as well as some other parameters related to accelerator coupled with the core. The main objective of this simulation is to study the behavior of Accelerator Driven Subcritical core with thorium assemblies.展开更多
This paper reflects the scopes of accelerator driven system (ADS) based nuclear energy, as a reliable source of electric energy generation, comparing to the other existing non-renewable and renewable sources. There ar...This paper reflects the scopes of accelerator driven system (ADS) based nuclear energy, as a reliable source of electric energy generation, comparing to the other existing non-renewable and renewable sources. There are different limitations in the use of every source of electric energy but in consideration of minimum environmental impact, exclusively inherently low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, and also, high life time with maximum power production efficiency, nuclear would be the best choice. From this study it was found that several difficulties involved in the ADS based energy production, more specifically, difficulties regarding the target parameters, coding system, waste management, etc. Hence suggestions from this study points out that if it is possible to ensure more energy efficient production of enriched uranium, improved nuclear fuels and reactors that allow greater utilization, extended life times for nuclear power plants (NPPs) that reduce the need to build new facilities, improved coding system capable of minimizing the discrepancy between theoretical and experimental calculation of spallation products, improved data library with sufficiently available high energy nuclear data to perform a better coding analysis, and finally, considering the environmental safety if the disposal of the radioactive wastes could manage more effectively, nuclear energy would then play a significant role in minimizing future energy crisis worldwide as well as to save our loving green earth.展开更多
One of the most important safety parameters taken into consideration during the design and actual operation of a nuclear reactor is its control rods adjustment to reach criticality. Concerning the conventional nuclear...One of the most important safety parameters taken into consideration during the design and actual operation of a nuclear reactor is its control rods adjustment to reach criticality. Concerning the conventional nuclear systems, the specification of their rods’ position through the utilization of neutronics codes, deterministic or stochastic, is considered nowadays trivial. However, innovative nuclear reactor concepts such as the Accelerator Driven Systems require sophisticated simulation capabilities of the stochastic neutronics codes since they combine high energy physics, for the spallation-produced neutrons, with classical nuclear technology. ANET (Advanced Neutronics with Evolution and Thermal hydraulic feedback) is an under development stochastic neutronics code, able to cover the broad neutron energy spectrum involved in ADS systems and therefore capable of simulating conventional and hybrid nuclear reactors and calculating important reactor parameters. In this work, ANETS’s reliability to calculate the effective multiplication factor for three core configurations containing control rods of the Kyoto University Critical Assembly, an operating ADS, is examined. The ANET results successfully compare with results produced by well-established stochastic codes such as MCNP6.1.展开更多
Nuclear power is a mature technology of clean energy, with the incomparable advantage of other energy sources toresolve conflicts in the fast-growing energy needs and environmental protection. A major issue of the dev...Nuclear power is a mature technology of clean energy, with the incomparable advantage of other energy sources toresolve conflicts in the fast-growing energy needs and environmental protection. A major issue of the development ofnuclear energy facing is the spent fuel deposal, especially the safe disposal of long-lived high-level radioactive waste.At present, accelerator-driven subcritical system (ADS), composed of a high energy proton accelerator, a spallationtarget and a subcritical reactor, is recognized as the most promising nuclear waste transmutation technology for itsexcellent safety, powerful transmutation ability and good neutron economy. Therefore, ADS is the most promisingtool transmuting large quantities of radioactive waste to reduce the risk of deep storage[1].展开更多
In this paper, we study a monitoring method for neutron flux for the spaUation target used in an accelerator driven sub-critical （ADS） system, where a spallation target located vertically at the centre of a sub-crit...In this paper, we study a monitoring method for neutron flux for the spaUation target used in an accelerator driven sub-critical （ADS） system, where a spallation target located vertically at the centre of a sub-critical core is bombarded vertically by high-energy protons from an accelerator. First, by considering the characteristics in the spatial variation of neutron flux from the spallation target, we propose a multi-point measurement technique, i.e. the spallation neutron flux should be measured at multiple vertical locations. To explain why the flux should be measured at multiple locations, we have studied neutron production from a tungsten target bombarded by a 250 MeV-proton beam with Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation results indicate that the neutron flux at the central location is up to three orders of magnitude higher than the flux at lower locations. Secondly, we have developed an effective technique in order to measure the spallation neutron flux with a fission chamber （FC）, by establishing the relation between the fission rate measured by FC and the spallation neutron flux. Since this relation is linear for a FC, a constant calibration factor is used to derive the neutron flux from the measured fission rate. This calibration factor can be extracted from the energy spectra of spallation neutrons. Finally, we have evaluated the proposed calibration method for a FC in the environment of an ADS system. The results indicate that the proposed method functions very well.展开更多
文摘In an accelerator driven sub-critical (ADS) facility, a sub-critical reactor is driven by an intense external neutronsource provided by an accelerator coupled to a spallation target. The real-time measurement of incore neutron fluxin an ADS facility is necessary for the commissioning measurements of the beams from the accelerator, for theroutine verification of control rod positions, and for the calibration of the excore power range nuclear instruments.In a commercial reactor used in nuclear industry, several incore neutron detectors are used commonly to measureradial neutron flux profile at different radial locations within the reactor core. In an ADS facility, we propose thatnot only radial neutron flux profile but also vertical flux profile should be measured at different locations, becausethe incore neutron flux is affected dramatically by the neutrons from the spallation target.
文摘This paper proposes a sub-critical nuclear energy system driven by fusion neutron source, FDS, which can be used to transmute long-lived radioactive wastes and to produce fissile nuclear fuel as a way for early application of fusion technology. The necessity and feasibility to develop that system in China are illustrated on the basis of prediction of the demand of energy source in the first half of the 21th century, the status of current fission energy supply and the progress in fusion technology in the world. The characteristics of fusion neutron driver and the potential for transmutation of long-lived nuclear wastes and breeding of fissile nuclear fuel in a blanket are analyzed. A scenario of development steps is proposed.
文摘During recent years, a new generation of nuclear reactors, known as “Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactors”, has been developed. One of the new application aspects for such reactors (besides transmutation of High Level Waste and burning Minor Actinides) is usage of thorium as nuclear fuel. In this work a subcritical core in experimental scale is simulated by MCNPX code. The core contains two types of fuel assemblies: (85% ThO2 + 15% UO2) and MOX (U-Pu). In the first step, only the thorium-contained fuel assemblies are loaded into the core. Criticality calculations using MCNPX show that the keff is so low that the fuel assemblies cannot run the subcritical core. This implies that MOX (U-Pu) assemblies must be loaded as well. Neutronic parameters of the thorium- fueled Accelerator Driven Subcritical core are then calculated as well as some other parameters related to accelerator coupled with the core. The main objective of this simulation is to study the behavior of Accelerator Driven Subcritical core with thorium assemblies.
文摘This paper reflects the scopes of accelerator driven system (ADS) based nuclear energy, as a reliable source of electric energy generation, comparing to the other existing non-renewable and renewable sources. There are different limitations in the use of every source of electric energy but in consideration of minimum environmental impact, exclusively inherently low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, and also, high life time with maximum power production efficiency, nuclear would be the best choice. From this study it was found that several difficulties involved in the ADS based energy production, more specifically, difficulties regarding the target parameters, coding system, waste management, etc. Hence suggestions from this study points out that if it is possible to ensure more energy efficient production of enriched uranium, improved nuclear fuels and reactors that allow greater utilization, extended life times for nuclear power plants (NPPs) that reduce the need to build new facilities, improved coding system capable of minimizing the discrepancy between theoretical and experimental calculation of spallation products, improved data library with sufficiently available high energy nuclear data to perform a better coding analysis, and finally, considering the environmental safety if the disposal of the radioactive wastes could manage more effectively, nuclear energy would then play a significant role in minimizing future energy crisis worldwide as well as to save our loving green earth.
文摘One of the most important safety parameters taken into consideration during the design and actual operation of a nuclear reactor is its control rods adjustment to reach criticality. Concerning the conventional nuclear systems, the specification of their rods’ position through the utilization of neutronics codes, deterministic or stochastic, is considered nowadays trivial. However, innovative nuclear reactor concepts such as the Accelerator Driven Systems require sophisticated simulation capabilities of the stochastic neutronics codes since they combine high energy physics, for the spallation-produced neutrons, with classical nuclear technology. ANET (Advanced Neutronics with Evolution and Thermal hydraulic feedback) is an under development stochastic neutronics code, able to cover the broad neutron energy spectrum involved in ADS systems and therefore capable of simulating conventional and hybrid nuclear reactors and calculating important reactor parameters. In this work, ANETS’s reliability to calculate the effective multiplication factor for three core configurations containing control rods of the Kyoto University Critical Assembly, an operating ADS, is examined. The ANET results successfully compare with results produced by well-established stochastic codes such as MCNP6.1.
文摘Nuclear power is a mature technology of clean energy, with the incomparable advantage of other energy sources toresolve conflicts in the fast-growing energy needs and environmental protection. A major issue of the development ofnuclear energy facing is the spent fuel deposal, especially the safe disposal of long-lived high-level radioactive waste.At present, accelerator-driven subcritical system (ADS), composed of a high energy proton accelerator, a spallationtarget and a subcritical reactor, is recognized as the most promising nuclear waste transmutation technology for itsexcellent safety, powerful transmutation ability and good neutron economy. Therefore, ADS is the most promisingtool transmuting large quantities of radioactive waste to reduce the risk of deep storage[1].
基金Supported by Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA03010000 and XDA03030000)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(91426301)
文摘In this paper, we study a monitoring method for neutron flux for the spaUation target used in an accelerator driven sub-critical （ADS） system, where a spallation target located vertically at the centre of a sub-critical core is bombarded vertically by high-energy protons from an accelerator. First, by considering the characteristics in the spatial variation of neutron flux from the spallation target, we propose a multi-point measurement technique, i.e. the spallation neutron flux should be measured at multiple vertical locations. To explain why the flux should be measured at multiple locations, we have studied neutron production from a tungsten target bombarded by a 250 MeV-proton beam with Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation results indicate that the neutron flux at the central location is up to three orders of magnitude higher than the flux at lower locations. Secondly, we have developed an effective technique in order to measure the spallation neutron flux with a fission chamber （FC）, by establishing the relation between the fission rate measured by FC and the spallation neutron flux. Since this relation is linear for a FC, a constant calibration factor is used to derive the neutron flux from the measured fission rate. This calibration factor can be extracted from the energy spectra of spallation neutrons. Finally, we have evaluated the proposed calibration method for a FC in the environment of an ADS system. The results indicate that the proposed method functions very well.
