IAEA-CN-115-85 · MYRRHA A Proof-of-Principle ADS Facilty

H. Aït Abderrahim

SCK•CEN, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium

Abstract: Since 1998, SCK•CEN in partnership with IBA s.a. and many European research laboratories, is designing a multipurpose ADS for R&D applications –MYRRHA - and is conducting an associated R&D support programme. MYRRHA is an Accelerator Driven System (ADS) under development at Mol in Belgium and aiming to serve as a basis for the European experimental ADS to provide protons and neutrons for various R&D applications. It consists of a proton accelerator delivering a 350 MeV*5 mA proton beam to a liquid Pb-Bi spallation target that in turn couples to a Pb-Bi cooled, subcritical fast core.
In a first stage, the project focuses mainly on demonstration of the ADS concept, safety research on sub-critical systems and nuclear waste transmutation studies. In a later stage, the device will also be dedicated to research on structural materials, nuclear fuel, liquid metal technology and associated aspects and on sub-critical reactor physics. Subsequently, it will be used as fast spectrum irradiation facility and as radioisotope production facility.
A first preliminary conceptual design file of MYRRHA was completed by the end of 2001 and has been reviewed by an International Technical Guidance Committee that concluded that there are no show stoppers in the project even thought some topics such as the safety studies and the fuel qualification need to be addressed more deeply before concluding. At the end of 2004 a so-called DRAFT-2 design file has been completed where the remarks of the ITGC have been addressed. In this paper we will be presenting the state-of-the-art of the MYRRHA project and its perspectives for the next coming years.

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