Energy multiplication and fissile fuel breeding limits of accelerator-driven systems with uranium and thorium targets

Abstract

The study analyses the integral U-233 and Pu-239 breeding rates, neutron multiplication ratio through (n,xn)- and fission-reactions, heat release, energy multiplication and consequently the energy gain factor in infinite size thorium and uranium as breeder material in an accelerator driven systems (ADS), irradiated by a 1-GeV proton source. Energy gain factor has been calculated as M-energy = 1.67, 4.03 and 5.45 for thorium, depleted uranium (100% U-238) and natural uranium, respectively, where the infinite criticality values are k(infinity) = 0.40, 0.752 and 0.816. Fissile fuel material production is calculated as 53 Th-232(n,gamma)U-233, 80.24 and 90.65 U-238(n,gamma)Pu-239 atoms per incident proton, respectively. The neutron spectrum maximum is by similar to 1 MeV. Lower energy neutrons E < 1 MeV have major contribution on fissile fuel material breeding (>97.5%), whereas their share on energy multiplication is negligible (0.2%) for thorium, depleted uranium. Major fission events occur in the energy interval 1MeV < E < 50 MeV. Copyright (C) 2015, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.