Accelerator-Driven Thorium Cycle: New Technology Makes It Feasible Conference Paper uri icon

abstract

  • We have developed a conceptual design for an accelerator-driven thorium cycle power reactor which addresses the issues of accelerator performance, reliability, and neutronics that limited earlier designs The proton drive beam is provided by a flux-coupled stack of isochronous cyclotrons, occupying the same footprint as a single cyclotron but providing 7 independent beams from 7 separate accelerating structures within a common magnetic envelope The core is arranged in a hexagonal lattice, and the 7 beams are used to provide a hexagonal drive beam pattern so that the effective neutron gain is relatively uniform over the entire core volume Reliability is achieved by redundancy: if any drive beam is interrupted, the other 6 suffice to maintain reactor operation A new approach to fuel cladding should make it possible to operate with lead moderator at temperatures 800 C, enabling access to advanced heat cycles and perhaps to a Brayton cycle for hydrogen production (authors)

author list (cited authors)

  • Adams, M., Best, F., Kurwitz, C., McInturff, A., McIntyre, P., Rogers, B., ... Meitzler, C.

complete list of authors

  • Adams, M||Best, F||Kurwitz, C||McInturff, A||McIntyre, P||Rogers, B||Sattarov, A||Yavuz, M||Meitzler, C

publication date

  • 2002