International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Research Applications and Utilization of Accelerators

4-8 May 2009, Vienna

ADS/INT-04

Research and Development Programme on ADS in JAEA

H. Takei, N. Ouchi, T. Sasa, D. Hamaguchi, K. Kikuchi, Y. Kurata, K. Nishihara, H.
Obayashi, S. Saito, T. Sugawara, Y. Tazawa, M. Tezuka, K. Tsujimoto, and H. Oigawa

Transmutation Section, J-PARC Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Tokai, Japan

Corresponding Author: takei.hayanori@jaea.go.jp

JAEA has been promoting the research and development (R&D) on accelerator-driven subcritical system (ADS) as a dedicated system for the transmutation of long-lived radioactive nuclides. The ADS proposed by JAEA is a lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) cooled, tank-type subcritical reactor with a thermal power of 800 MWth driven by a 30 MW superconducting LINAC. The R&D activities can be divided into two categories: one is the design study and technical development for a future large-scale ADS, and the other is the experimental programme at the Transmutation Experimental Facility (TEF) under the J-PARC (Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex) project. As for the design study of the future ADS, the reliability of the accelerator is being investigated based on the data analysis of existing LINAC facilities. The coupling mechanism between the accelerator and the reactor is another issue to be carefully considered. As for the technical development of the superconducting LINAC, fabrication and tests of prototype cryomodule were carried out, and
its good performance was demonstrated. As for the TEF, conceptual design is being discussed, and some technical developments for the facility construction are under way including the laser charge exchange technique for the extraction of a low power (about 10 W) proton beam for reactor physics experiments from high power beam.

The approval to start construction of the TEF has not yet been decided by the government.Recently, the check and review of the nuclear transmutation technology was begun by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) of Japan, and the recommendations on the R&D in this field will be issued by the end of March, 2008. The results for this check and review will be reported in this presentation.