Basic experiments on the accelerator-driven system (ADS) at the Kyoto University Critical Assembly are carried out by combining a solid-moderated and -reflected core with the fixed-field alternating gradient accelerator. The reaction rates are measured by the foil activation method to obtain the subcritical multiplication parameters. The numerical calculations are conducted with the use of MCNPX and JENDL/HE-2007 to evaluate the reaction rates of activation foils set in the core region and at the location of the target. Here, a comparison between the measured and calculated eigenvalues reveals a relative difference of around 10% in C/E values. A special mention is made of the fact that the reaction rate analyses in the subcritical systems demonstrate apparently the actual effect of moving the tungsten target into the core on neutron multiplication. A series of further ADS experiments with 100?MeV protons needs to be carried out to evaluate the accuracy of subcritical multiplication parameters. 1. Introduction The accelerator-driven system (ADS) is a hybrid technique combining a reactor core and an accelerator, which has been used worldwide in research and development of nuclear transmutation of minor actinides (MAs), long-lived fission products (LLFPs), and next-generation neutron sources. In ADS, a large number of high-energy neutrons are generated directly at a heavy metal target when high-energy protons produced by the accelerator are injected onto the target. The high-energy neutrons can be utilized for maintaining nuclear fission reactions in the reactor core and achieving the purposes of the introduction of ADS. The current research on ADS involved mainly an experimental feasibility study with the use of critical assemblies and test facilities: MASURCA [1–3], YALINA-booster and -thermal [4–6], VENUS-1 [7], and the Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA) [8–14]. Moreover, numerical simulations [15–20] were executed by the deterministic and stochastic approaches for the evaluation of MAs and LLFPs in ADS. The new ADS test facility of GUINEVERE [21] is being commissioned to start actual operation in subcritical states after the first critical experiments. The Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute is pursuing an innovative research program (Kart & Lab.: Kumatori Accelerator-Driven Reactor Test Facility & Innovation Research Laboratory) to develop the fixed-field alternating gradient (FFAG) [22–24] accelerator and to establish a new neutron source by ADS in combination with KUCA and the FFAG accelerator. With the coupling of the KUCA core and
References
[1]
R. Soule, W. Assal, P. Chaussonnet et al., “Neutronic studies in support of accelerator-driven systems: the MUSE experiments in the MASURCA facility,” Nuclear Science and Engineering, vol. 148, no. 1, pp. 124–152, 2004.
[2]
M. Plaschy, C. Destouches, G. Rimpault, and R. Chawla, “Investigation of ADS-Type heterogeneities in the MUSE4 critical configuration,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 42, no. 9, pp. 779–787, 2005.
[3]
J. F. Lebrat, G. Aliberti, A. D'Angelo et al., “Global results from deterministic and stochastic analysis of the MUSE-4 experiments on the neutronics of accelerator-driven systems,” Nuclear Science and Engineering, vol. 158, no. 1, pp. 49–67, 2008.
[4]
C. M. Persson, A. Fokau, I. Serafimovich et al., “Pulsed neutron source measurements in the subcritical ADS experiment YALINA-Booster,” Annals of Nuclear Energy, vol. 35, no. 12, pp. 2357–2364, 2008.
[5]
Y. Gohar, G. Aliberti, I Bolshinsky, et al., “YALINA-booster subcritical assembly conversion,” Transactions of American Nuclear Society, vol. 101, pp. 39–40, 2009.
[6]
M. Tesinsky, C. Bergl?f, T. B?ck et al., “Comparison of calculated and measured reaction rates obtained through foil activation in the subcritical dual spectrum facility YALINA-Booster,” Annals of Nuclear Energy, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 1412–1417, 2011.
[7]
H. H. Xia, “The progress of researches on ADS in China,” ICFA Beam Dynamics Newsletter, vol. 49, pp. 72–80, 2009.
[8]
C. H. Pyeon, Y. Hirano, T. Misawa et al., “Preliminary experiments on accelerator-driven subcritical reactor with pulsed neutron generator in Kyoto university critical assembly,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 44, no. 11, pp. 1368–1378, 2007.
[9]
C. H. Pyeon, M. Hervault, T. Misawa, H. Unesaki, T. Iwasaki, and S. Shiroya, “Static and kinetic experiments on accelerator-driven system with 14?MeV neutrons in Kyoto University Critical Assembly,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 45, no. 11, pp. 1171–1182, 2008.
[10]
C. H. Pyeon, H. Shiga, K. Abe et al., “Reaction rate analysis of nuclear spallation reactions generated by 150, 190, and 235 MeV protons,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 47, no. 11, pp. 1090–1095, 2010.
[11]
C. H. Pyeon, H. Shiga, T. Misawa, T. Iwasaki, and S. Shiroya, “Reaction rate analyses for an accelerator-driven system with 14?MeV neutrons in the Kyoto university critical assembly,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 46, no. 10, pp. 965–972, 2009.
[12]
H. Taninaka, K. Hashimoto, C. H. Pyeon, T. Sano, T. Misawa, and T. Ohsawa, “Determination of lambda-mode eigenvalue separation of a thermal accelerator-driven system from pulsed neutron experiment,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 376–383, 2010.
[13]
H. Taninaka, K. Hashimoto, C. H. Pyeon et al., “Determination of subcritical reactivity of a thermal accelerator-driven system from beam trip and restart experiment,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 48, no. 6, pp. 873–879, 2011.
[14]
H. Taninaka, A. Miyoshi, K. Hashimoto, et al., “Feynman-α analysis for a thermal subcritical reactor system driven by an unstable 14?MeV neutron source,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 48, no. 11, pp. 1272–1280, 2011.
[15]
K. Tsujimoto, T. Sasa, K. Nishihara, H. Oigawa, and H. Takano, “Neutronics design for lead-bismuth cooled accelerator-driven system for transmutation of minor actinide,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 21–36, 2004.
[16]
T. Sasa, H. Oigawa, K. Tsujimoto et al., “Research and development on accelerator-driven transmutation system at JAERI,” Nuclear Engineering and Design, vol. 230, no. 1–3, pp. 209–222, 2004.
[17]
T. Sugawara, T. Iwasaki, T. Chiba, and K. Nishihara, “Development of dynamics code and proposal of start-up procedure for accelerator driven system,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 20–31, 2006.
[18]
K. Nishihara, K. Iwanaga, K. Tsujimoto, Y. Kurata, H. Oigawa, and T. Iwasaki, “Neutronics design of accelerator-driven system for power flattening and beam current reduction,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 45, no. 8, pp. 812–822, 2008.
[19]
T. Sugawara, K. Nishihara, K. Tsujimoto, T. Sasa, and H. Oigawa, “Analytical validation of uncertainty in reactor physics parameters for nuclear transmutation systems,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 521–530, 2010.
[20]
T. Sugawara, M. Sarotto, A. Stankovskiy, and G. Van Den Eynde, “Nuclear data sensitivity/uncertainty analysis for XT-ADS,” Annals of Nuclear Energy, vol. 38, no. 5, pp. 1098–1108, 2011.
[21]
W. Uyttenhove, P. Baeten, G. Van Den Eynde, A. Kochetkov, D. Lathouwers, and M. Carta, “The neutronic design of a critical lead reflected zero-power reference core for on-line subcriticality measurements in accelerator driven systems,” Annals of Nuclear Energy, vol. 38, no. 7, pp. 1519–1526, 2011.
[22]
M. Tanigaki, K. Takamiya, H. Yoshino, N. Abe, T. Takeshita, and A. Osanai, “Control system for the FFAG complex at KURRI,” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, vol. 612, no. 2, pp. 354–359, 2010.
[23]
T. Planche, E. Yamakawa, T. Uesugi et al., “Scaling FFAG rings for rapid acceleration of muon beams,” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, vol. 622, no. 1, pp. 21–27, 2010.
[24]
T. Planche, J.-B. Lagrange, E. Yamakawa et al., “Harmonic number jump acceleration of muon beams in zero-chromatic FFAG rings,” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, vol. 632, no. 1, pp. 7–17, 2011.
[25]
C. H. Pyeon, T. Misawa, J. Y. Lim et al., “First injection of spallation neutrons generated by high-energy protons into the kyoto university critical assembly,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 46, no. 12, pp. 1091–1093, 2009.
[26]
J. S. Hendricks, G. W. McKinney, L. S. Waters, et al., MCNPX User's Manual, Version 2.5.0, LA-UR-05-2675, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2005.
[27]
T. Fukahori, “JENDL high-energy file,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 2, supplement, pp. 25–30, 2002.
[28]
H. Takada, K. Kosako, and T. Fukahori, “Validation of JENDL high-energy file through analyses of spallation experiments at incident proton energies from 0.5 to 2.83?GeV,” Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, vol. 46, no. 6, pp. 589–598, 2009.
[29]
H. Shahbunder, C. H. Pyeon, T. Misawa, and S. Shiroya, “Experimental analysis for neutron multiplication by using reaction rate distribution in accelerator-driven system,” Annals of Nuclear Energy, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 592–597, 2010.