Application of gas-cooled Accelerator Driven System (ADS) transmutation devices to sustainable nuclear energy development

The conceptual design of a pebble bed gas-cooled transmutation device is shown with the aim to evaluate its potential for its deployment in the context of the sustainable nuclear energy development, which considers high temperature reactors for their operation in cogeneration mode, producing electricity, heat and Hydrogen. As differential characteristics our device operates in subcritical mode, driven by a neutron source activated by an accelerator that adds clear safety advantages and fuel flexibility opening the possibility to reduce the nuclear stockpile producing energy from actual LWR irradiated fuel with an efficiency of 45–46%, either in the form of Hydrogen, electricity, or both.

► Utilization of Accelerator Driven System (ADS) for Hydrogen production.
► Evaluation of the potential use of gas-cooled ADS for a sustainable use of Uranium resources by transmutation of nuclear wastes, electricity and Hydrogen production.
► Application of the Sulfur-Iodine thermochemical process to subcritical systems.
► Application of CINDER90 to calculate burn-up in subcritical systems.