Calculation of deuteron-induced reaction cross-sections for nuclear transmutation of long-lived fission products

Nakayama, Shinsuke; Furutachi, Naoya; Iwamoto, Osamu; Watanabe, Yukinobu*

NEA/NSC/R(2020)4 (Internet), p.345 - 349, 2022/10

Long-lived fission products (LLFPs) generated in nuclear reactors are strongly desired to be converted to stable or short-lived nuclides. Recently, it has been considered to transmute LLFPs by spallation reactions with high energy particles, and some experimental studies revealed that spallation reaction cross-sections induced by deuteron are larger than proton-induced ones. These results suggest the possibility that nuclear transmutation of LLFPs using deuteron beams is more efficient than one using proton beams. On the other hand, we have been developing a code system dedicated for deuteron-induced reactions, called DEURACS. DEURACS has been originally developed to contribute to the design of deuteron accelerator neutron sources. In the present study, we apply DEURACS to calculation of deuteron-induced spallation reactions on LLFPs. Through comparison with measured data, the applicability of DEURACS will be discussed.

Disposal and recycling; Safer disposal and reassuring recycling

Nishihara, Kenji

ImPACT Fujita Puroguramu Kokai Seika Hokokukai "Kaku Henkan Niyoru Koreberu Hoshasei Haikibutsu No Ohaba Na Teigen, Shigenka" Seika Hokokusho, Shiryoshu, p.28 - 31, 2019/03

In this project, long-lived fission products (LLFP) contained in conventional high-level radioactive wastes are separated and their life is reduced, and elements that can be used as resources are separated. By shortening the life of LLFP, it has been shown that it may be possible to dispose in intermediate depth of several tens of meters, meeting safety requirements, instead of geological disposal. In addition, for reassuring recycling of usable elements, possible exposure pathways were evaluated to estimate the safe concentration level of radioactivity.

Disposal of radioactive waste and partitioning-transmutation; Consideration of waste disposal from view point of source term

Nishihara, Kenji

Genshiryoku Bakkuendo Kenkyu (CD-ROM), 25(2), p.131 - 134, 2018/12

https://nuce.aesj.or.jp/jnuce/vol25/Jnuce-Vol25-2-p131-134.pdf

Impact of reduction of source term on design and safety assessment of disposal concept for high level radioactive waste is considered. Reduction of source term in partitioning and transmutation technology is shown with impact on disposal concept. Moreover, cost and technological readiness is outlined.

Method to reduce long-lived fission products by nuclear transmutations with fast spectrum reactors

Chiba, Satoshi*; Wakabayashi, Toshio*; Tachi, Yoshiaki; Takaki, Naoyuki*; Terashima, Atsunori*; Okumura, Shin*; Yoshida, Tadashi*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 7(1), p.13961_1 - 13961_10, 2017/10

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-14319-7

Transmutation of long-lived fission products (LLFPs: Se, Zr, Tc, Pd, I, and Cs) into short-lived or non-radioactive nuclides by fast neutron spectrum reactors without isotope separation has been proposed as a solution to the problem of radioactive wastes disposal. Despite investigation of many methods, such transmutation remains technologically difficult. To establish an effective and efficient transmutation system, we propose a novel neutron moderator material, yttrium deuteride (YD), to soften the neutron spectrum leaking from the reactor core. Neutron energy spectra and effective half-lives of LLFPs, transmutation rates, and support ratios were evaluated with the continuous-energy Monte Carlo code MVP-II/MVP-BURN and the JENDL-4.0 cross section library. With the YD moderator in the radial blanket and shield regions, effective half-lives drastically decreased from 10 to 10 years and the support ratios reached 1.0 for all six LLFPs. This successful development and implementation of a transmutation system for LLFPs without isotope separation contribute to developing a self-consuming cycle of LLFPs using fast spectrum reactors to reduce radioactive waste.

Status and future plan of research and development on partitioning and transmutation technology for long-lived nuclides in JAERI

Oigawa, Hiroyuki; Nishihara, Kenji; Minato, Kazuo; Kimura, Takaumi; Arai, Yasuo; Morita, Yasuji; Nakayama, Shinichi; Katakura, Junichi

JAERI-Review 2005-043, 193 Pages, 2005/09

JAERI-Review-2005-043.pdf:16.13MB

JAERI has been conducting research and development on partitioning and transmutation (P&T) technology for long-lived nuclides to develop the double-strata fuel cycle concept, in accordance with the Atomic Energy Commission's "Research and Development of Technologies for Partitioning and Transmutation of Long-lived Nuclides - Status and Evaluation Report" issued in 2000. The double-strata fuel cycle concept consists of four major processes: partitioning, fuel fabrication, transmutation, and fuel processing. The five-year achievement and future perspectives for the technology on these processes are presented in this report. It also provides an analytical study on impacts of introducing P&T technology on waste management, and on deployment of P&T for the future nuclear energy system.

Measurement of neutron capture cross sections of Tc-99

*

JNC TJ9400 2000-008, 61 Pages, 2000/02

JNC-TJ9400-2000-008.pdf:2.5MB

For studies on nuclear transmutation of long-lived fission products (LLFPs) in a fast reactor, detailed characteristics of reactor core such as transmutation performance have to be investigated, so accurate neutron cross section data of LLFPs become necessary. Therefore, the keV-neutron capture cross sections of Tc-99, which is one of important LLFPs, were measured in the present study to obtain the accurate data. The measurement was relative to the standard capture cross sections of Au-197. A neutron time-of-flight method was adopted with a ns-pulsed neutron source by a Pelletron accelerator and a large anti-Compton NaI(TI) gamma-ray detector. As a result, the capture cross sections of Tc-99 were obtained with the error of about 5 % in the incident neutlon energy region of 10 to 600 keV. The present data were compared with other experimental data and the evaluated values of JENDL-3.2, and it was found that the evaluations of JENDL-3.2 were 15-20 % smaller than the present measurements.

Research and development on transmutation of high-level waste, 3.2; Transmutation with accelerator

*; Takizuka, Takakazu

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi, 37(3), p.167 - 171, 1995/00

no abstracts in English

Study on new transmutation method of LLFP using heavy water reactor and cold neutron, 3; Moderation system for cold neutron

Tachi, Yoshiaki; Takaki, Naoyuki*; Iida, Takumi*; Wakabayashi, Toshio*

no journal, , 

no abstracts in English

Development of nuclear transmutation methods for converting LLFP into stable or short-lived nuclides, 15; Level densities of LLFPs and nuclei around LLFPs calculated based on the microscopic structure calculation

Furutachi, Naoya; Minato, Futoshi; Iwamoto, Osamu

no journal, , 

To establish a reasonable nuclear transmutation technology for long-lived fission products (LLFPs), it is important to improve precision of the nuclear data needed for the simulation of the nuclear transmutation. The level density is essential for the nuclear reaction calculation using the statistical model, and it has significant influence on the precision of the nuclear data evaluation. Although a phenomenological model such as Fermi Gas model is used in a usual nuclear data evaluation, it is considered that using a microscopic theory that has predictive power superior to a phenomenological model brings better precision for the nuclear data. In this study, to improve precision of the nuclear data of LLFPs and nuclei around LLFPs, the level densities needed for the nuclear data evaluation of those nuclei were derived based on the microscopic nuclear data calculation. In this derivation, we improved the calculation method to describe prcisely the effect of the deformation change with nuclear excitation. To analyze precision of the nuclear reaction calculation, we compared the cross sections of various reaction channel systematically with the experimental data of stable nuclei.

Theoretical model analysis of deuteron-induced spallation reactions on long-lived fission products

Nakayama, Shinsuke; Furutachi, Naoya; Iwamoto, Osamu; Watanabe, Yukinobu*

no journal, , 

In the ImPACT project, deuteron is a first candidate of incident beam for nuclear transmutation of long-lived fission products (LLFPs) and accurate deuteron nuclear data on LLFPs are strongly required. Thus, we have performed theoretical model analysis of deuteron-induced spallation reactions on LLFP with DEURACS, which is the computational code dedicated for deuteron-induced reactions. Through comparison with measured data and other calculation method, the applicability of DEURACS to spallation reactions and the role of breakup processes in the reactions will be discussed.